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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26411341">A Trickster's Heart Part 1</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/July_Jackson/pseuds/July_Jackson'>July_Jackson</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Trickster's Heart [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Asgard, Astral Projection, Canon Divergence - Thor (2011), Canon Divergence - Thor: The Dark World, Domestic Violence, Dreamsharing, F/M, Falling In Love, Flashbacks, Headcanon, Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, Loki (Marvel) Feels, Love Confessions, Love/Hate, Magic, Memory Loss, Non-Consensual Touching, Sex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 12:20:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>67,608</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26411341</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/July_Jackson/pseuds/July_Jackson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Help me choose my Ingrid.</p><p> </p><p>  <a href="https://july-jackson.tumblr.com/">https://july-jackson.tumblr.com/</a></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Trickster's Heart [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2289824</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>47</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A Broken Woman</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was nightfall on Asgard and the streets were bathed in a soft light from the two-tone sky. People wrapped in evening cloaks bustled past a tavern, pausing just long enough to see the cause of the disturbance inside. Some thrust their faces upon the window, mouths agape like goldfish.</p><p>Inside the tavern, a golden-haired woman swung at a remarkably large bewhiskered man. She missed and was carried forward with the energy of her blow. She recovered her bearings and took a swig from her ale, it trickled down the sides of her face and onto her filthy tunic.</p><p>  “Come on then!” She garbled loudly. The crowd murmured and pointed at the drunken woman as she swaggered on the spot.</p><p>  “Miss, you’ll need to come with us,” said a sturdy looking helmeted guard as he grasped for her arm. Ingrid slapped away the intruding limb and snarled as she swiped the contents of the table onto the floor. Goblets and platters clattered to the floor, deafening in the stillness of the crowd.</p><p>  “Don’t you touch me, you swine,” she spat.</p><p>A huge hand seized her shoulder from behind her and fury surged through her again, she wheeled around with a tensed fist at the ready. She couldn’t discern her target precisely, forms waved and weaved in front of her. The fierce woman swung her fist nevertheless, feeling her knuckles connect with something akin to solid rock.</p><p>Grimacing in pain she halted her flailing as the hand dug hard into her shoulder and her arms were restrained by her side</p><p>  “Ingrid, will you walk or must I carry you?” came a stern, familiar voice.</p><p>She moaned as her guts twisted inside her and her legs threatened to yield. Collapsing to her knees, she vomited on the wood floor, enormous arms caught her before she fell forward.</p><p>  “I guess I’m carrying you then,” Thor sighed.</p><p>He hoisted her over his shoulder, wrinkling his nose at the smell of stale ale and vomit.</p><p>  “I’ll send someone to clean up,” he told the tavern owner, who was still wide-eyed at the disarray.</p><p>The God of Thunder carried his intoxicated companion outside and towards the palace. He would see to it that she owed him for this.</p><hr/><p>Searing pain in her skull and an unwelcome intense light greeted Ingrid as she cracked open one eye. She knew she was in the dungeons beneath the palace, that’s where they regularly put her to sober up.</p><p>The painfully white chamber hurt her open eye and she promptly closed it again, holding her arm over her eyes to obstruct the glow that permeated her eyelids. Scenes from the prior evening played out in her mind and she groaned inwardly.</p><p>
  <em>Fighting again? You’re a mess, Ingrid.</em>
</p><p>She had been laid on a rigid wood bed under a coarse blanket, her head propped on a makeshift cushion. No regular guard had put her here, otherwise, she would have been tossed in onto the floor.</p><p>  “Good morning, little warrior.” She knew now who’d brought her here.</p><p>  “Thor... I suppose I should thank you for the luxurious lodging,” she said without uncovering her eyes.</p><p>  “Tell me, Ingrid, do you favour the cells to the comfort of your chamber in the palace?” Thor asked her, voice tinged with concern.</p><p>  “Do you want the honest answer, or should I just tell you what you all clearly want to hear.”</p><p>  “Damn it Ingrid, the truth! What is going on with you? Five times you have been summoned before Odin in the past two weeks, all for unruly behaviour. You’ve been drinking almost every night, starting quarrels with whoever glances at you the wrong way. Not to mention neglecting your responsibilities, Brunhilda is calling for you to be stripped of your rank as a Shield Maiden.”</p><p>Ingrid flinched internally at Thor’s tirade, she didn’t want to hear it.</p><p>
  <em>Why can’t people just leave me be.</em>
</p><p>  “I don’t care anymore, Thor, go away,” she said, voice full of defeat.</p><p>  “It’s because of Loki, isn’t it?” Thor asked. Ingrid’s eyes snapped open at the question.</p><p>  “Ingrid, we all grieve for him, Odin and Frigga lost a son, Asgard lost a Prince and me... I lost a brother.” Ingrid could hear the anguish in Thor’s voice and a flicker of shame developed in the pit of her stomach.</p><p>  “Thor I-“ Ingrid started, but she couldn’t finish. She wanted to yell and scream and wreck everything, her agony was in control of her.</p><p>  “Odin has sent me to bring you before him... again, so clean yourself up.”</p><p>He took off without glancing back and Ingrid felt another piece of herself slip away as marched away from her.</p><p>
  <em>He’s going to give up on you if you keep this up.</em>
</p><hr/><p>In the throne room, Ingrid knelt before Odin, who was sat atop his huge golden throne. Large columns dominated the room, elaborate gilded carvings on almost every facade. More opulence than was necessary in Ingrid’s opinion, like the entire room had been immersed in gold, it irritated her eyes.</p><p>  “Ingrid, Shield Maiden of the Einherjar, perhaps I was mistaken all those years ago on Midgard. When I felt the fire in you. The little girl with a Lion’s roar. I brought you to Asgard to give you life and in return, you squander it away. Was my gesture for nothing?”</p><p>  “Allfather, forgive me... I did not intend to waste the gift you gave me. I am... out of sorts,” Ingrid did her best to appear convincing in front of Odin, conscious that he could likely see right through her.</p><p>  “OUT OF SORTS!?” Odin roared.</p><p>  “Five times you have been brought before me and asked for mercy and I gave it, solely because I felt the same pain as you, but now... now I have had enough of your senseless behaviour, carousing and picking fights as if you were still a child.”</p><p>  “Allfather please, I wish to heal whatever has shattered my spirit,” Ingrid implored.</p><p>  “And heal you shall, in the cells... until I believe you to be free of the darkness that consumes you. Not a single droplet of ale shall pass your lips and you will recommence your training with Brunhilda, under strict supervision... from Thor,” Odin added the last bit with a small smile playing at the corner of his lips.</p><p>  “But Father...” Thor objected as they led away Ingrid.</p><p>  “Thor, you know as well as I that she stands no chance of falling again if you are by her side,” Odin replied, his voice was lower now.</p><p>  “Then I shall do as you request,” Thor agreed, feeling like he had been stuck with babysitting Ingrid.</p><hr/><p>  “Argh! By the gods!” Ingrid cried out as her blanket was ripped from her, she clutched at it and resisted the blanket thief.</p><p>  “Rise and shine little warrior, clean up and report to Brunhilda... She’s waiting for you,” Thor seemed almost playful until Ingrid saw his face and the scowl that resided there.</p><p>The only saving grace about being so rudely awoken at that hour was that the barracks were deserted so Ingrid could bathe in silence, at least until Thor came pounding on the door to the washroom, yelling at her to hurry before Brunhilda had them both before Odin.</p><p>She sighed and glanced up at the magnificent golden ceiling, motifs of Einherjar from the old tales were painted all around, one battle after another in glorious reds and golds. Such opulence for a simple washroom in the barracks, but it gave one the chance to reflect on those that had come before them and given their lives for Asgard.</p><p>
  <em>And here you are, acting like a child who has been banished to her chambers without desert.</em>
</p><p>Feeling somewhat guilty at her recent actions she hauled herself out of the water and dried off as fast as she could, Thor banged impatiently on the door again.</p><p>  “You have one minute to be out here, or I will... come in there after you,” he bellowed, slightly uncertain about his threat.</p><p>Ingrid swung the door open.</p><p>  “Relax, I’m finished,” she said as she shot him a sideways glance and tightened her chest plate.</p><p>  “It is as if you wish for Brunhilda to beat you for your impertinence,” Thor groaned.</p><p>Ingrid just rolled her eyes and went out to the training arena. Not bothering to hold back for Thor, she ploughed on ahead, feeling smug as he had to run to catch up to her.</p><hr/><p>Outside in the arena, Ingrid gave a little shiver in the crisp morning air.</p><p>  “Take up your sword, Ingrid,” said Brunhilda, with an icy gaze fixed directly on her. Ingrid drew the training sword with a sharp huff and took a defensive position, feeling frustrated that she was being forced to be here.</p><p>  “Now try to hit me,” Brunhilda commanded, Ingrid cocked her head quizzically.</p><p>  “Daggers work best for me,” Ingrid retorted with a smirk.</p><p>  “Then perhaps it is time you were out of your comfort zone,” came Brunhilda’s reply as she kicked Ingrid’s feet from beneath her.</p><p>Ingrid hit the dirt floor with an undignified grunt, she dragged herself to her feet again, drawing air in huge gulps as Brunhilda’s attack had winded her. Retrieving the sword that lay at her feet, she waved it around, feeling the weight and planning an approach.</p><p>With a sudden step forward, Ingrid lunged at Brunhilda, determined to knock the superior look off her face, but Brunhilda sidestepped effortlessly and hit the hilt of her sword into Ingrid’s nose, making her stagger backwards in a haze.</p><p>Ingrid saw stars and tasted blood, she spat on the floor and screeched, rushing towards her tormentor with all the ferocity she could summon, but Brunhilda was laughing as she let Ingrid swing past her and seized her arm, twisting it up her back.</p><p>Ingrid didn’t fight against the urge to kneel and Brunhilda brought her lips to Ingrid’s ear, “Pathetic, you’re wasting yourself and I don’t have the patience for you, we’re done for the day, I’ll keep Odin updated on your progress, or lack of it.”</p><p>The pinprick sting of tears made Ingrid drop her head, she wouldn’t let them see her cry. She shrugged Thor’s hand away as he attempted to scoop her off the floor, “Go away.”</p><p>  “Will you stop trying to drive away everyone who cares about you!” Thor shouted in exasperation.</p><p>  “Brunhilda has never cared about me, she’s always been tougher on me than she has with anyone else.”</p><p>  “Did you ever consider that maybe she had to be?”</p><p>  “If she was trying to help me, then she has an odd way of showing it.”</p><p>  “Maybe if you stopped pushing away the ones that try to help, then you might see it.”</p><p>  “Just go, I’ll be right behind you,” and she meant it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Grounded</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ingrid paced the floor of her chamber in the palace, muttering to herself every few steps.</p><p>  “And you’re not coming riding with me, Sif and the others because?”</p><p>  “Because I’m furious, Thor.”</p><p>  “And you’re furious because?”</p><p>  “Because,” -Ingrid clenched her fists- “Odin has forbidden my visit to Midgard this month.”</p><p>She held back a sob, she adored visiting her homeworld, Odin had proposed the idea once she was old enough. It helped her keep in touch with who she was. She would go to Midgard and engross herself in life there, listen to their music, eat their food, speak with other Humans.</p><p>He thought the visits could keep her grounded, he was right, she flourished. She’d never felt that she truly belonged on Asgard, but embracing her Midgard origins helped her celebrate who she was. Odin had seen something special in her, she had needed to see it too.</p><p>  “Ingrid, the Bifrost is still being reconstructed, there’s no way you could get there.”</p><p>  “Heimdall could do it, couldn’t he?”</p><p>  “That is not possible without using Dark Energy, you know that.”</p><p>Ingrid huffed and took a moment to think before saying, “I need to spend the day training, Brunhilda won’t be happy if I fail her again.”</p><p>  “That’s probably for the best, you’ll come with us next time though?”</p><p>  “Yes... oh and Thor?” Thor turned back to face Ingrid, “Don’t let Sif beat you back to the castle this time,” Ingrid smirked.</p><p>  “That never happened,” Thor gave a deep laugh as he left.</p><p>Once she was sure he’d gone, Ingrid hurriedly filled a small bag and made her way to Heimdall. He was at the broken Bifrost when she found him, overseeing the rebuilding. He looked happy to see her when she arrived,</p><p>  “Daughter,” he called out, holding out his arms for her. Heimdall had formally adopted her when Odin brought her back to Asgard. Through this, she gained a family name. Even though she was raised in the castle, Heimdall had taken her under his wing.</p><p>She had spent a lot of time with him over the years, she would sit by his side at the Bifrost and listen to his tales of what he could see throughout the nine realms. He would bring her tales of Midgard to keep her connected to her world, while she listened in fascination. He may not have been her actual father, but she respected him tremendously for giving her his name, for giving her something to tie her to Asgard.</p><p>  “Father,” Ingrid said brightly as she embraced him.</p><p>  “Have you come for tales from the Realms?”</p><p>  “Not today, I’m afraid. I must ask something of you,” Ingrid bit her lip nervously.</p><p>  “Ah, I know that face, what mischief are you planning this time?”</p><p>Heimdall always made her feel like she was just a child again, she never wanted to deceive him.</p><p>  “I need you to to get me off Asgard. Please,” she asked.</p><p>  “Daughter, I cannot, as you can see,”-he swept an arm around- “the Bifrost is still useless.”</p><p>  “I heard of other ways you can send people?”</p><p>  “You’re talking about dark energy, Ingrid, I will not do that for your request.”</p><p>  “But Heimdall, I need to get away from here, just for a bit-“</p><p>  “Are you still a child? Must you stamp your feet because you cannot get your own way?”</p><p>  “No Heimdall, I just thought you would understand.”</p><p>  “I do, I see you when you’re suffering. Loki’s death has pained you in more ways than one. I can help you heal, but I cannot help with your request.”</p><p>Heimdall’s outward expressions were always hard to read, but Ingrid was sure she saw a sadness in his eyes. Was he feeling miserable because he couldn’t help her? Or because she had expected him to bend the rules for her? She wasn’t sure, but she felt remorseful about her next actions, she wouldn’t be able to hide from him.</p><p>  “I’m sorry Father, I shouldn’t have asked that of you,” She threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek.</p><p>  “I will always try to guide you, I only hope you will always try to listen,” Heimdall told her.</p><p>Ingrid broke the embrace and gave a wistful smile, “I’ll come and listen to some more of your stories soon.”</p><p>Heimdall nodded in acknowledgement and Ingrid strode away toward Asgard’s port. Guilt gnawed at her gut, but this was her last option. A part of her knew she should be patient and wait for the Bifrost, she also knew that Odin would be furious with her. She was only listening to the loudest voice inside her head, the one that shouted at her to get away from everything. There was nothing in Asgard that didn’t remind her of Loki, she’d lost her best friend and she didn’t want to stick around and be reminded of it every day.</p><hr/><p>As she neared the port, she spied a few ships that she could board easily... One, in particular, stood out, scrap traders that would have no qualms in taking her to her intended destination, for the right price. Looking around for anyone that might recognise her, she approached one of the scrap traders.</p><p>  “I need to get to Midgard... I mean Earth.”</p><p>  “Sure, we can get you to Terra, what can you give us?” the trader asked.</p><p>Ingrid reached into her bag and pulled out a gold bracelet, “Will this be enough?”</p><p>The trader grinned, revealing black pointed teeth that made Ingrid shudder, “that should do nicely, come aboard...”</p><p>Something about his smile made Ingrid feel uncomfortable, but she had no choice, she wasn’t waiting around any longer. She took a last look at the palace before boarding the ship, Thor would be out riding now and she’d be gone before she got back.</p><p>Heimdall could likely see her but it wouldn’t do any good, without the Bifrost they wouldn’t be able to retrieve her, they wouldn’t use dark energy for that, they could send someone after her but they’d be stuck with her until the Bifrost was rebuilt.</p><p>Worst-case scenario, they send one of the Einherjar to babysit her until Heimdall can bring them back. She decided she could live with that and boarded the ship. The journey wouldn’t be long, the scrap traders travel the entire galaxy quickly to take what other worlds no longer need.</p><p>Inside the ship was as bad as she predicted it to be, it was dark and smelled of oil. Grime and dirt-covered almost everything and Ingrid tried to avoid touching anything. Parts of the interior no longer matched where upgrades had been completed with materials the traders had scavenged. As she seated herself in what she thought was a dining area, the trader she had given her bracelet to, approached her.</p><p>  “One days travel to earth only, you can stay in the cargo hold. The rest of the ship is off-limits. Do you agree?”</p><p>Ingrid nodded in agreement, a day in a cargo hold wasn’t so rough. She followed the trader to the cargo hold, he smelled more strongly of metal and oil than the rest of the ship did. He pointed to a basic area in the hold that contained a chair, table and a bucket, Ingrid groaned at the bucket.</p><p>  “Thank you,” she tried to sound as grateful as possible.</p><p>  “Remember, the rest of the ship is off-limits,” the trader reminded her as he left her alone in the hold. Ingrid was glad when he went, the way he looked at her was unnerving.</p><p>  <em>Nothing to do now but get comfortable and wait</em></p><p>A faint light flickered with a buzz above her head and she could swear there was something stirring in the piles of goods that the traders and stockpiled in here. Closing her eyes, she imagined that she was in a field on Asgard, with rain showering down on her. A calm swept over her and she floated off into a world she could control.</p><hr/><p>The feel of an ice-cold blade at her neck and pressure on her chest awoke her. Opening her eyes, she saw Odin pushing down on her ribs until she couldn’t breathe.</p><p>  “Allfather, what... are you... doing,” she croaked.</p><p>  “Spiteful little human girl, is this how you repay my generosity?” Odin pressed the blade harder against her skin.</p><p>  “No”-she sucked a breath in- “I didn’t... mean to... disobey you.</p><p>  “I should have left you to die on Midgard. I’ll fix my mistake.”</p><p>  “No- “ a tear rolled from Ingrid’s eye as Odin drew his blade high and brought it down swiftly</p><p>  Ingrid screamed into the darkness as she sat up and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She hadn’t expected the guilt dreams to start so quickly, she also had no idea how long she’d been asleep.</p><p>She felt groggy like she’d slept too long but she had no way of knowing, she grabbed her bag and pulled out the afternoon meal she’d packed and a bottle of ale. Feeling one hundred times better than she did when she woke up, she pulled out a small knife and a piece of wood and continued her carving. During her visits to Midgard, she acquired a fondness for chess and used to marvel at the miniature carved pieces.</p><p>She had settled upon creating her own set and teaching Loki and Thor, having even started carving little versions of them both. She twisted the piece in her fingers, studying the half-finished Loki. She didn’t know why she’d packed the figures, she’d discarded the project when the news of Loki’s death had reached her.</p><p>The memory struck her like a bolt, Thor at her door, the tears that fell before he even spoke. She’d trashed her chamber that night. From there on, she’d only spiralled downward, reaching her complete low and pushing her to this moment.<br/>She ran her knife over the wood in small careful strokes until Loki’s armour began to form, working from the image in her mind. She worked until she drifted off, chess piece and knife in hand.</p><hr/><p>No nightmares this time, but when she awakened, the trader she’s bought her passage from was standing over her, twiddling her chess piece in his hand.</p><p>  “Hey! don’t touch that,” she yanked the piece from him.</p><p>The trader jumped backwards, “My apologies, I came to tell you we are nearing Terra,” he licked his teeth and smiled that same creepy smile.</p><p>  “Thank you, I’ll get my things,” she said, eyeing him cautiously.</p><p>  “Don’t forget this,” -he drawled as he held out her knife- “Be careful you don’t cut yourself.”</p><p>Ingrid shuddered inside, something wasn’t right about him. Thankfully she’d be jumping ship soon enough, they had instructions to drop her in New York. She kept a place there for her visits, plus a place in Norway, but Norway felt a little too close to home right now. She followed the sinister-looking trader to the teleporter, hopefully, they had picked a discreet location to send her.</p><p>  “Step inside Miss,” the trader extended his hand towards a decrepit looking teleporter.</p><p>Everything on the trader ship was old and grimy, and she wondered just how many times they could repair something. Ingrid had the briefest moment of apprehension before stepping into it, feeling the hairs on her neck prickle. The last thing she saw was the trader’s odd grin before the machinery whirred loudly around her.</p><hr/><p>Teleporting was nothing like travelling by Bifrost, she felt like she was being compressed into a ball before being stretched paper-thin. A loud pop echoed around her head, followed by the familiar sounds of city streets. She was in a small, dark alleyway, and she glanced around to make sure she hadn’t been seen.</p><p>Walking out onto the street, she knew exactly where she was. Luckily, she wasn’t far from her place on West 93rd Street, a twenty-minute walk away. A few people eyed her suspiciously before she realised she was still dressed in her Asgardian clothes, she wasn’t too concerned, she had seen stranger sights in this city.</p><p>She sighed with relief as she reached her apartment building, she felt relaxed here, away from her duties on Asgard and all the people that smothered her in an attempt to ease her pain. They meant well, she knew that, and she definitely wasn’t coping, but she felt closed in by their good intentions.</p><p>The doorman beamed as she passed by, “Good Evening Frank,” she said with a nod.</p><p>  “You’ve been gone a while, Ingrid, work keeping you away again?”</p><p>She had told Frank that she worked away in Norway a lot, she had arrangements for her rent to be paid regularly when she was on Asgard and she trusted them here to keep watch over her apartment. Her time on Midgard over the years had helped her to compile a decent sum of money, it kept her comfortable. By Midgardian standards, she was moderately wealthy, though she tried not to flaunt it</p><p>  “As always. Hey, I’ve got a bit of time to myself for a while, if you fancy a game of chess?”</p><p>  “Absolutely, you’re getting better, you’re almost becoming a challenge.”</p><p>Ingrid narrowed her eyes in a mock scowl and snorted a laugh as she stepped inside the elevator. She’d missed being here, not just in New York, but on Earth. Entering her large apartment, she threw open all her windows and collapsed on her bed, listening to the city traffic. Emotional exhaustion overwhelmed her and her head throbbed. Whatever it was she needed to do to feel herself again, she’d figure it out in the morning.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Taken part 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ingrid had dedicated much of her day to distracting herself from the guilt of running away from Asgard. The faces of Heimdall, Thor, Odin and Frigga, flashed in her mind. Their disappointed expressions filled her with a pang that, despite her best attempts to dismiss it, prevented her from truly enjoying anything.</p><p>At least their faces kept her from seeing Loki’s as much. It hurt to try to forget him, almost as much as it hurt to remember him. She wondered if she’d ever go back to Asgard. Maybe Odin would leave her be...</p><p>
  <em>Doubtful.</em>
</p><p>She spread out on her bed until she felt all her muscles come to life; she had plans to go to a nightclub and lose herself in music and dancing. Music was one of her favourite things in life, she’d encountered all styles from all over the world over the past thousand years.</p><p>Her apartment was crowded with musical instruments from different cultures, and her music library was comprehensive. She often had a hard time choosing what to listen to. Nightclubs gave her a space to blow off steam, become a slave to the beat and not stop until the lights came up and she was forced to leave.</p><p>She dragged herself up off the bed and showered quickly. It was 9pm by the time she was done and ready to leave but she felt great, pampered and polished, no trace of warrior on her. The heat of the day hadn’t faded as the Sun set and she mopped beads of perspiration from her forehead, congratulating herself on choosing shorts and a vest.</p><hr/><p>  “Going out tonight?” Frank asked her as she strolled towards the front doors.</p><p>  “Yes Frank, I’ll be back late, Chess tomorrow?”</p><p>  “Sure, I’ll come round when I finish my shift.”</p><p>  “Great, I’ll see you then.”</p><p>  “You be safe now, Ingrid.”</p><p>  “I always am Frank, I always am,” she gave a twirl of her hand as she left the cool air-conditioned lobby of the apartments and out into the heat of New York’s streets.</p><p>Ingrid paused, toying with the idea of jumping in a taxicab to the Upper East Side. The evening was warm, so she settled on cutting through Central Park to the club she was heading to. The air smelled fresh in the park, like fresh cut grass and summer flowers. A hint of a breeze rustled the surrounding leaves.</p><p>Pausing to look at Belvedere Castle, she recalled how it looked in winter, when fresh snow had fallen. With only the sounds of distant traffic and the wail of a siren to remind her she was in the city, Ingrid gave a deep sigh and made her way to the club.</p><hr/><p>The Warehouse nightclub stood out on the street, saturated in a neon glow. Her skin glowed with the blue and violet from the lights. There was a sizeable queue leading from the entrance, men and women lined up waiting patiently for the approval of the bouncer. Ingrid didn’t join the back of the line, she sauntered right up to the front, greeting the doorman as she walked past. A chorus of complaints erupted behind her.</p><p>She felt the bass beating under her skin as her spine tingled and her hairs stood on end in anticipation. She made her way down a dimly lit, black hallway that ended with silver doors. Throwing them open and getting swept away by an ocean of bodies that swayed and gyrated in time with the music, she snaked her way through the mob, straight to the bar.</p><p>  “Hey, can I get a bottle of water please?” she asked when one of the bartenders made eye contact with her.</p><p>He nodded and passed her a wonderfully cold bottle of water. Ingrid gave a wink and a grin to the young man and downed the chilled liquid in one go. Feeling refreshed, she plunged back into the sea of thrashing limbs. She moved quickly and nimbly through the crowd, momentarily allowing people to dance up against her before moving on. All of her troubles and thoughts melted away as she moved her body. No guilt, no grief.</p><p>
  <em>No Loki…</em>
</p><p>The hairs on the back of her neck went up and Ingrid twirled around to look behind her. She had the uncomfortable sensation that someone was watching her. Convincing herself she just needed a break, she made her way to the ladies restroom and splashed her face with cool water. She tried to straighten the large bun that she’d wound her calf-length hair into and exited the restroom, walking straight into a particularly tall, dark haired guy.</p><p>  “I’m sorry, I was hoping to get your attention,” the man shuffled his feet anxiously, regarding her with hooded, blue eyes.</p><p>  “Well... you got it,” Ingrid huffed.</p><p>  “Again, I’m sorry. I was just watching you and admired-“</p><p>  “You were watching me? well that’s not disturbing at all is it?” Ingrid cut him off.</p><p>The man continued, unfazed by Ingrid’s sarcastic response, “I wondered if I could buy you a drink?”</p><p>  “I’m sorry, I don’t drink, but thanks for the offer.”</p><p>  “Can I dance with you then?”</p><p>  “Look, I don’t really dance with guys either, you seem nice but I come here alone and I like it that way.”</p><p>  “No harm in trying,” the man shrugged his broad shoulders and retreated into the crowd.</p><p>Ingrid returned to the dancefloor and thought no more of it. He wasn’t the first guy to try his luck. She let the rhythm take over her again and danced until it was closing time. Her journey home was much faster, she had hailed a cab since the night felt a lot cooler now. She let her hand rest out of the window to feel the air flow between her fingers while she stared at the night sky through the window.</p><p>She thought of Thor and Asgard, what they must be doing, whether Heimdall was watching her now, if he’d told them that she was safe and that they didn’t need to worry, she hoped so. She loved Asgard, but everyone had become so stifling since Loki died, all closing in on her, tighter and tighter. The more she lashed out, the harder they tried.</p><hr/><p>The cab pulled up outside her apartment and she craved her soft bed. The night concierge was nowhere to be seen when she entered the building, strange but no immediate cause for alarm.</p><p>Her apartment was still warm inside, so she opened her windows to let the night air in while she sat on the ledge and listened to the endless city traffic pass by.</p><p>  “Welcome home, Ingrid.”</p><p>Ingrid whirled her head around to see who the voice belonged to. The guy from the club was sitting on her sofa.</p><p>  “You were in The Warehouse, did you follow me? how did you get in here?” she asked.</p><p>  “The doorman was remarkably cooperative,” the man said with as he inclined his head towards the unconscious concierge, bound and gagged in the corner of her living room.</p><p>Ingrid ran to the man, dropping to her knees and checking for signs of life.</p><p>  “Don’t fret, he isn’t dead,” the man said, advancing towards her.</p><p>  “You need to leave, now.”</p><p>  “Oh, my dear Ingrid, I’m not going anywhere.”</p><p>Ingrid wasn’t frightened, this man couldn’t hurt her, she was more powerful than him.</p><p>  “You’re making a big mistake,” she threatened.</p><p>He didn’t seem fazed by her threat, moving closer to her. She felt her muscles twitch and her fists clenched, ready to spring into action. The man didn’t stop, inching further, a wild grin stretching his lips wide. His next step took him within Ingrid’s reach and she threw her fist towards his chest.</p><p>The man caught her fist and Ingrid’s eyes opened wide in shock. He seized her arm and twisted it up her back and drove her onto her knees on the floor, Ingrid hissed in pain.</p><p>  “Who are you?...” she asked through gritted teeth.</p><p>The man surrendered his grasp on her arm and yanked her up off the floor. Ingrid froze as the man shifted in a burst of green light.</p><p>  “Loki...”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Taken part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>  “Loki...”</p><p>Ingrid had no idea what to think. His face blurred as the tears came and she flew towards him, throwing her arms around his body, partly to make certain she wasn’t hallucinating. She held on so tight, as if he might float away if she let go, all the while words poured from her lips.</p><p>  “Loki, you’re alive, how? Why didn’t you come home? We thought you were dead, everybody will be so overjoyed, I’ve missed you so much...” Ingrid stopped her emotional rambling, something didn’t feel right. Her arms wrapped around him, but he hadn’t moved.</p><p>  “But… the doorman, what’s going on?” She said as pulled away from his motionless frame.</p><p>  “Loki, what’s wrong?”</p><p>He wasn’t smiling, his features like stone.</p><p>  “It brings me no pleasure to do this, Ingrid.”</p><p>  “Wait ... do wha- “Ingrid got cut short by Loki’s fist smashing into her face. Being thrown backwards and stumbling as she regained her footing.</p><p>  “What the fuck, Loki? What is wrong with you?”</p><p>He hit her again and this time she ducked to her left and dashed towards her bedroom.</p><p>  “Don’t make this harder, Ingrid,” Loki shouted after her.</p><p>Ingrid slammed the door behind her as Loki charged, wedging a chair under the handle, for all the good it would do. Loki could tear down the door without trying, he could use his magic to appear in the room with her... she was screwed.</p><p>Ten seconds passed, twenty seconds ... thirty ... he wasn’t trying to get in, he hadn’t appeared in the room. Dropping to the floor, she smacked her head against her knees in confusion. Nothing about this situation made sense. The man out there couldn’t be Loki.</p><p>Her eyes darted about the room for something she could use, but her weapons chest was in the living room. She had nothing to fight him with.</p><p>
  <em>The window</em>
</p><p>She opened it wide, making sure she did it as noisily as possible, and then she slid under her bed, placing her hand over her mouth. Her bedroom door was ripped off its hinges with a splintering sound that rang through the room.</p><p>  “You couldn’t just make this easy for me, could you ...” Loki said as he approached her open window and climbed out into the night, falling for her subterfuge.</p><p>Ingrid released the breath she was holding and waited a few minutes before sliding herself back out from under her bed. She stood up and found herself looking at Loki. He was sitting on her bed with an ominous expression, and this time he didn’t let her fight back. His hands clasped her arms in a steel grip.</p><p>The last thing she felt was a scratch at her neck before she fell to the ground.</p><hr/><p>The smell of oil and one hell of a headache greeted her as she came round from her drug induced slumber. She was in the cargo hold of a junk trader ship again. Her hands bound with cuffs and her feet were secured together tightly with rope. </p><p><em>Loki, what are you up to</em>.</p><p>Her head protested at any movement she attempted, but she needed to look around and find a way out. She felt strange. It wasn’t just the headache, this wasn’t Loki. She spied a jagged chunk of metal protruding from a pile of debris, using it to cut the ropes around her feet and gain a little more freedom of movement. She tried the door first, locked but worth a shot.</p><p>She paced the hold, racking her brains for some semblance of a plan. Yet all she could think about was him ... why had he taken her and what was he trying to accomplish. He looked distant and empty, less mischievous and more pure evil. The grin on his face had chilled her. His eyes had lacked any warmth that one might have previously found there, just green, piercing orbs that had made her feel like she was descending into nothingness.</p><p>If this was an act, she wondered how long he could keep it up. All his other previous attempts at wickedness had never panned out the way he’d expected, he’d always teetered on the precipice of true evil. Now it seemed to her that he’d dived in off the edge. Kidnapping her was one thing, but letting everyone believe he was dead for so long… She guessed his uneasiness with his place in life had finally taken its toll.</p><p>Ingrid knew very little of the night he died, whispers of his treachery, rumours of the part he played in the attack from the Frost Giants. When Odin had fallen into the Odin Sleep and Thor had been exiled for his foolishness, Loki had stepped up to maintain order, but even then... he’d acted strange. If there was truth to it, no one had told her... and that made her ache.</p><p>The door to the cargo hold slid open with a whoosh, and Ingrid ducked down behind a junk pile.</p><p>  “Ingrid, if you’re thinking of doing something stupid ... then don’t.”</p><p>  “I could say the same to you Loki, what are you planning this time? Why do you need me?”</p><p>  “Well now, that’s none of your business. You might want to hold on to something, we’ll be landing soon and I require you in one piece.” He flashed a smile at her and left.</p><p>Ingrid felt the ship begin to shudder shortly after he’d left, and she huddled herself tightly into a corner, towers of junk threatening to collapse onto her as they vibrated violently. When everything had ceased shaking and the low rumble of the engines had quietened, she looked for something to arm herself with, fragments of metal, poles, anything. Nothing was small enough to conceal, even if she could conceal it, he’d know somehow. Ingrid kicked the wall in frustration and wondered if Heimdall could see her.</p><p>  “Move...” Loki ordered her when the door opened again.</p><p>She didn’t argue, but she made sure that she knocked his shoulder with her own as she marched past him. It was like walking into a rock, but she felt marginally better for doing it.</p><p>He shoved her out into the crisp air of the world they were on. It felt like early morning. The ship was in a small clearing, surrounded by trees. The woodland floor was cold and wet and a fog drifted in the air between the densely packed trees.</p><p>Loki fastened a chain to her handcuffs and walked on, tugging at the chain to signal to her she needed to move. She grumbled and started walking, trying not to think of how cold she was.</p><hr/><p>Ingrid winced, the metal cuffs rubbed on her wrist, leaving her skin achingly raw. She was finding it tough to maintain pace with Loki as he trudged on ahead through the trees and heavy undergrowth, almost yanking her along. She couldn’t make out the forest floor and had to trust that Loki could as she tried to walk the same path as him.</p><p>  “Is it so hard for you to keep up? perhaps I should just drag you instead,” growled Loki.</p><p>  “Maybe you hadn’t noticed, but my attire isn’t altogether suited to the climate,” Ingrid bit back.</p><p>  “And I’m not sure if you noticed that I don’t quite care. I’m going to deliver you and take my money.”</p><p>  “Ah yes, I’m sure you’ll be rich after you hand me over. Starved, cold, scarcely any life left in me.”</p><p>Loki swung round and closed the distance between them. He moved forward on her until she was backed against a tree. Ingrid felt the heat from him, and she did her best to stare him down.</p><p>  “Quit your whining you vexing woman, I’m not sure that I made it clear enough, I don’t care anymore, and frankly, I would gladly kill you now and take less money for your lifeless corpse,” Loki said in a low, steady voice. He retreated away and Ingrid realised she’d been holding her breath.</p><p>  “Sorry,” she whispered through chattering teeth.</p><p>It was painful for her to see this side of Loki, he’d always been fond of mischief but this was something else entirely. Letting everyone believe he was dead and returning with darker intentions. He looked different now too, his face less youthful, his eyes had dulled and his skin was paler. Whatever was going on, she didn’t like it, and she wondered if maybe Loki didn’t like it too.</p><p>Another hour of walking crept by. Ingrid’s feet burned and her legs no longer felt like they belonged to her, two cold, lifeless lumps of flesh that carried on beneath her. She had no idea how.</p><p>Ahead of her, Loki halted abruptly. Without speaking, he unclipped his cloak and started towards her. Ingrid withdrew, but there was no hatred in his expression. Silently he hung the heavy material around her shoulders and walked away again, without uttering a single word.</p><p>Slightly stunned, Ingrid followed again, savouring the heat from the cape and glaring at the back of Loki’s skull as if she could look into his mind and figure out exactly what was going on.</p><p>She took a chance at more conversation. Angry Loki was still better than walking for miles in silence, “So, why do we need to walk so far anyway? Can’t you just... you know? Teleport us where you need to be.”</p><p>Loki inhaled sharply through his nose and squeezed the bridge with two fingers, “It seems that by showing you a small kindness, I have somehow implied that I want to converse with you, as if this was a friendly stroll through the forest, perhaps I should take back the cape?”</p><p>  “I was just curious Loki, you abduct me, drag me through a forest for hours, act like you’re going to kill me for talking to you ... What is this? Because whatever it is, maybe I can help,” Ingrid inched towards him, hoping she was going slowly enough that he wouldn’t notice.</p><p>She continued talking, “We’re friends Loki, you always helped me... I would never have finished my training without you, we grew up together ... does that still mean anything to you?” She had covered half the distance between them and he hadn’t yet moved or responded, so she continued.</p><p>  “Please Loki, you don’t need to go through with this, come back to Asgard with me and we’ll get this sorted, I’m sure Thor will just be glad to know that you’re alive,” She was only a foot away now and he hadn’t moved, head down.</p><p>Ingrid reached out her shackled hands, “Loki?”</p><p>  “Don’t touch me, you can’t help me. You’re making this worse,” Loki finally replied.</p><p>  “I just want to help y-” Ingrid’s voice got cut off by Loki wrapping a hand around her throat.</p><p>  “I don’t want your help, you pathetic little girl, I just need to get my money and then leave. I have far bigger plans. So shut up and keep walking,” the venom in his voice was clear. He practically spat the words at her.</p><p>  “Just so we’re clear, I don’t care about Thor, I don’t care about Odin and I most assuredly don’t care about Asgard, we’re not friends anymore. I’m not that person anymore,” Loki released his grip and walked away.</p><p>Ingrid caught her breath. He hadn’t gripped hard enough to kill her but she felt a lump in her throat where his hand had been. She didn’t speak to him again for the rest of the journey. Whatever was eating him, she couldn’t reach him to figure out.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Abandoned</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ingrid saw the lights through the trees way before they arrived at the clearing, blues, reds, yellows flashing in time to loud electronic music, the bass sending vibrations through the ground. Loki halted just before they reached the edge, and he turned around to Ingrid. Without saying a word, his features shifted into a man she didn’t recognise.</p><p>She must have been making a face at his sudden change because he finally spoke to address the issue.</p><p>  “I can’t be myself here, I borrowed this face from one of the Einherjar a while ago. You aren’t to speak, but if you seem to find that an impossibly hard task, then my name is Ulf... Do you understand?” Ingrid nodded, and a satisfied Loki retrieved his cape and made it vanish while she shuddered in the cold again.</p><p>Loki pulled her out into the street. The air was fetid, the music was louder, the lights were brighter, everything about this place was garish. They walked past a glass-fronted building. Females from numerous species throughout the galaxy were up against the window. One yellow-skinned woman with intense green eyes and long slicked back white hair, pushed her almost bare breasts against the glass and gestured to Loki to come inside. He rejected the request and continued moving down the hectic street.</p><p>Ingrid was jostled about in the swarms of people pushing past her roughly. Loki turned around a few times to check that she was still in tow and tightened the chain around his hand.</p><p>Ahead of them was a similar building to the one with all the windows and women. This one, however, had women lying around on huge silver chairs. Some of them smoking from a device that resembled a hookah in the centre, exhaling green smoke in giant plumes and rings.</p><p>For the briefest of moments, she thought he would walk right by, but he stopped at the door, tugging at the chain as if he sensed her unwillingness to enter. The entrance room smelled sickly sweet, sticks of incense, smouldered in every corner, everybody was wearing too much perfume and Ingrid scrunched up her nose, fighting the urge to sneeze.</p><p>  “Madame Tixinn,” Loki said with a smile, as an extraordinarily tall, pink-skinned woman with six-inch horns protruding from her head and shoulders, greeted them.  She closed in on Ingrid, studying her with vivid blue eyes. She was older than the women that sat idling in the window, soft wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and lips.</p><p>Tixinn took Ingrid’s hands in hers, “ah yes she’s lovely, just lovely... could use a cleanup, do you have all your teeth?” only half talking to Ingrid.</p><p>  “So the price we agreed on is fair?” Loki asked.</p><p>  “Absolutely, where did you find her? Such beautiful hair,” Tixinn replied, running her hands through Ingrid’s locks that had long since come loose from the bun.</p><p>  “I don’t believe that’s any of your business.”</p><p>  “Very true, I was naturally curious. She will make a delightful addition to my girls and I’ll make my money back in no time at all.”</p><p>Ingrid shot a look at Loki. Was this woman implying she was to be a prostitute?</p><p>  “I thought you required a chambermaid?” Loki said.</p><p>  “I did, but this one is much too magnificent to be scrubbing floors.”</p><p>  “Well, she’s likely sickly,” - Loki gave a wave of his hand - “you wouldn’t want to risk disappointing your clientele.”</p><p>Throughout this exchange between the Madame and Loki, Ingrid grew more and more distressed. Loki was going to sell her to this woman, he was going to leave her here to be mauled by strangers. Her chest felt empty and her mouth was dry. A multitude of different thoughts circled in her mind at once.</p><p>  “You don’t sound so sure anymore, do you wish to continue with the transaction?” Tixinn asked.</p><p>  “Of course. I was concerned about damaging your business. It wouldn’t look good on me if I was accused of bringing faulty goods for sale,” Loki looked at Ingrid with those last words.</p><p>If he was feeling anything at that moment, he wasn’t showing it. His expression was impassive as if he’d done this a hundred times.</p><p>Ingrid’s spirit shattered. This was the man she had grown up with, he’d encouraged her through her training and she’d joined him in his mischief. A tear spilled down her cheek, and she hoped that Loki saw it. She wanted him to feel something.</p><p>
  <em>Is there anything of that man left?</em>
</p><p>  “100,000 units all transferred. Pleasure doing business with you Mister?...” Tixinn enquired.</p><p>  “My name is Ulf, and the pleasure was all mine, Madame Tixinn. Enjoy the girl, she’s quite feisty.”</p><p>  “That might prove alluring to some of my clientele,” Madame Tixinn replied with a sly grin.</p><p>Ingrid couldn’t stop her tears now, he was actually going through with it, he had sold her and now she was stuck on an alien world. Maybe she could fight her way out or bargain her way off this planet, she couldn’t think.</p><p>Tixinn motioned to two burly looking men, both bald, pink-skinned like Tixinn but without the horns. She thought Tixinn was tall, but these men were taller still.</p><p>  “Take our new girl to get sorted, she requires a proper wash and fresh clothes,” Tixinn ordered as the men grabbed one of Ingrid’s arms each. Her first impulse was to pull away and fight against their grasp.</p><p>  “Oh I wouldn’t struggle, my boys can be quite forceful, I wouldn’t want them to break any bones,” said Tixinn with a straight face.</p><p>The pink men moved her across the room with ease and she fired one last look at Loki, her eyes pleading with him to take her home and stop all of this. He glanced at her and then looked away.</p><p>  “I believe our business is concluded...” Loki’s voice faded as she was forced away, into a back room and away from the only person who could have stopped this.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. A change of heart?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Loki wrapped up his business with Madame Tixinn and left. He felt a twitch in his gut that he ignored. He passed another whorehouse window; the women writhing at him. This time he took the time to look at their faces, their lustful expressions were just masks.</p><p>
  <em>Of course they are, you fool. None of these women want to be here.</em>
</p><p>Carrying on down the packed street, a woman ahead of him was screaming. An enormous beast of a man pulled on her chain, dragging her to the floor. There it was again, that perceptible knot building in his abdomen, he gathered all his strength to dismiss it.</p><p>The brute looped up the excess on the woman’s chain and swung it down; she cried out, looking around for someone to help her. Something told Loki that this wasn’t the sort of planet that cared about such things. People just sauntered past the assault like it was nothing new.</p><p>  “You little bitch,” grunted the brute as he brought the chain up over his head again, only this time his hand didn’t swing down.</p><p>Loki spoke slowly from behind the oaf as he tightened his grip on his wrist, “Touch that woman again and you’ll lose this arm, that you can be sure of.” He knew that the large man wouldn’t step down without a fight, but it didn’t hurt to throw a threat or two out there.</p><p>The brute turned his focus to Loki and sized him up. Loki wasn’t worried, the larger man had a good height advantage and was considerably well built, but Loki had always had his wits about him and he was cunning. Having Thor as a brother meant he’d relied on other methods to get what he wanted, not just his strength and speed. The brutish man had an amused expression. Evidently, it wasn’t often that someone challenged him.</p><p>  “Little man, this is none of your business,” he said, laughing as he ripped his wrist from Loki’s hand.</p><p>  “An overgrown bully striking a woman in the street is always my business,” Loki replied.</p><p>  “Who are you to threaten me, you are an insect that I shall squash beneath my boot.”</p><p>Loki braced himself and the brute pitched his free arm, Loki was faster and the gigantic man swung into nothing, the force of his punch leaving him unbalanced.<br/>Loki popped up behind him and kicked out hard so the brute lost his balance. His face hit the floor with enough force that Loki heard bone breaking.</p><p>He whirled around and glared at Loki through watering eyes, blood streaming from his nose, “you broke my nose,” he spat.</p><p>  “An improvement, I can assure you,” Loki retorted.</p><p>Deciding he’d drawn enough attention to his present form as he noted the small crowd that had collected to watch, he started to leave, when the girl he had saved stopped him to thank him. Loki gave her a grunt in response and continued walking away, not entirely sure whether he’d made the girl’s life rougher than it already was.<br/>Approaching the cover of the trees again, he shifted back into his original form and pinched the bridge of his nose.</p><p><em>What are you doing, why did you stop that man, why do you bloody care?</em> </p><p>These people were nothing to him, mere blips in his vast lifespan. Ingrid’s face flashed in his mind, brown eyes wet with tears. He shook his head as if rattling his brain might dislodge the image. Another image of her forced itself forward. She was smiling in a field, daggers in her hands glinting in the sun.</p><p>  “Fuck... fuck fuck,” Loki shouted as he punched a nearby tree over and over, looking at his fist he expected to see some damage.</p><p>The tree was missing a large piece of its trunk, but Loki was unscathed. He knew deep down that he hated himself, he tried to cover that part up, he had thought this would be easy, he was wrong. Summoning all his internal bitterness and hatred, he pushed forward through the forest, back to his ship where he could fly away from this and just… forget.</p><p>Three hours of silent reflection later and Loki reached his ship. No better for all the thinking time he’d had. All his thoughts had been of her, how he left her there and how she had looked at him when he sold her.</p><p>  “You stupid man, you utter fool, you complete bastard... You have what you want now, you don’t need her or Thor or Odin or anyone in any realm. You’re Loki, they’ll all be kneeling before you and calling your name by the time you’ve finished,” Loki spoke aloud to himself as if it would make the slightest bit of difference. But inside he still ached and Ingrid’s face was still there, imprinted into his mind.</p><p>  “Argh by the 9 realms!! Why can’t I just have what I want for once!” He screamed at the top of his lungs a few more times for good measure and then kicked his ship, turned on his heel and walked back towards the town.</p><p>Coming back through the forest he picked up his pace until he was running, the knot was back in his stomach, he’d done many things but selling her like an object to get his own way, he was having a hard time justifying it. Clearly, his conscience was still very much intact, for all the good that it did him.</p><hr/><p>Ingrid didn’t fight Tixinn’s men, choosing to heed Tixinn’s warning. She was strong, but she knew when it was best to comply. The two pink-skinned wardens forced her into a small, silver tiled room.</p><p>  “Remove your garments,” one of them demanded. Ingrid stood silent, eyes locked on the floor. She wondered how far they would go to make her compliant.</p><p>  “I said remove your garments, whore,” he ordered again. She did not move, and one of Madame Tixinn’s brutes produced a two-pronged baton. He approached Ingrid and raised her head to look at her.</p><p>  “I love it when they put up a fight,” he smirked to the other henchman. He dug the baton into Ingrid’s ribs and she felt the electricity in every nerve. She slumped to the ground, convulsing. They took the opportunity to rip what little clothes she was wearing from her body, then they backed off and pushed a button on the wall. Ingrid was hit with hot jets of water. It might have felt good in any other situation.</p><p>  “Wash yourself,” they said in unison as they left Ingrid laying on the floor, desperately trying to cover herself with her hands. Once she was satisfied that they were gone, she lifted herself onto trembling legs and tried her best to savour the soothing water. Finding soap on a shelf, she scrubbed herself down. If she was to be stuck here she may as well be clean.</p><p>She was barely finished rinsing the grime from her hair when one of the men returned to the room with a towel and clothes. He didn’t speak this time, he didn’t have to. Ingrid took them without question and dried herself.</p><p>The outfit was awful, skin tight and restraining. An all gold, full-body suit that had a slit from her neck down to her navel. It exposed most of her breasts and she felt more bare with it on. She was led to another room. This time they just threw her in and left without a word.</p><p>Ingrid assessed her surroundings, the room was all red and gold, pillows and blankets covered almost every surface, it was suffocating. Light poured in from the floor to ceiling windows that provided a view of the streets below. A gold-coloured dressing table was in the centre of the room with a very soft looking red chair.</p><p>A long mirror sat on the table and Ingrid caught sight of herself for the first time since she’d been taken. She looked sick, her skin was pallid, and she had dark circles under her eyes. She didn’t know how long she’d been unconscious on the trader ship, or what Loki had injected her with.</p><p>Her hair was as golden as ever, it hung around her calves and she needed to get it out of the way. She didn’t even want it anymore, it had been a gift... from Loki, the only reason he had gifted it to her was that he was the one who made her lose her hair in the first place.</p><p>She had awoken one morning to find her hair had completely vanished, a smooth bald head in its place. She cried for hours and had refused to leave her room, Thor had finally talked his way into her room and he’d not been able to contain his laughter, which earned him a well-placed punch in his jaw.</p><p>After a brief investigation, Loki was revealed as the culprit, he’d been unable to conceal his delight at his successful prank. He was ordered to fix it, and his solution was to ask the dwarves for a wig to be made from gold. It would behave as if it were her own hair. The only trouble was, she couldn’t cut it without it magically growing back. Hardly the best hair for a shield maiden.</p><p>Most of all, she remembered Loki’s face when he had finally seen her with her new hair. He had taken her hands and apologised for his prank, a rare thing for him to do, and she knew he had meant it. This memory made her heart hurt, and she wiped away the tears that had rolled down her cheeks.</p><p>  “Now why would a beautiful woman such as yourself have any reason to be sad,” came a voice and Ingrid jumped. A humanoid woman was lounging on a chair in one corner of the room, Ingrid wasn’t sure how she hadn’t spotted her when she came in.</p><p>  “They brought you to me so I can make you beautiful, but there’s hardly any work for me to do here,” she chuckled and raised herself from the chair to approach Ingrid. As she got closer, Ingrid saw that the woman had an extra set of arms. Small ridges extended down her face from her hairline to her lips, and she had large black eyes with heavy lashes. When the woman smiled at Ingrid, she flashed long, pointed canine teeth at the top and bottom.</p><p>She reached out to Ingrid and Ingrid flinched, “Do not be afraid, I’m not here to hurt you,” she purred.</p><p>Ingrid relaxed her guard and let the woman guide her to the dressing table and sit her down. Grabbing a brush the woman tidied up Ingrid’s almost dry hair, Ingrid let her, revelling in this small comfort.</p><p>  “Found or sold,” the woman asked, continuing conversation as she brushed. Ingrid didn’t answer, and the four-armed woman spoke again.</p><p>  “You’re scared, I know. I’m Maya, I was found, I’ve been here 10 years. I was picked up on a planet I don’t even know the name of, I stowed away and was discovered. I got kicked off the ship and was left on the streets. Ended up being found by Madame Tixinn’s men, half-starved. They brought me here and Madame gave me food, clothes and a job- “she broke off there.</p><p>  “Sold, I was... sold,” Ingrid answered her.</p><p>It had been an hour since Loki had turned and left with only a glance. The unfamiliar features he wore had been cold.</p><p>
  <em>Stop fucking crying, you’re a stupid girl crying over a stupid man.</em>
</p><p>  “He just left me here, this isn’t him... There’s something wrong with him,” Ingrid continued, mostly just thinking out loud.</p><p>  “Honey, of course there’s something wrong with him, he just sold you to Madame Tixinn,” Maya replied</p><p>  “No, you don’t understand, something is eating him, I can feel it,” Ingrid tried to explain.</p><p>
  <em>Why are you defending him? Everyone has problems, you don’t solve them by selling your friends.</em>
</p><p>  “Listen, honey, it’s best not to hold on to it, you’re here now, we’ll look after you... Now look at yourself,” Maya said as she raised Ingrid’s head to look in the mirror.</p><p>Ingrid hadn’t even realised that Maya had stopped brushing and had been weaving her hair into an intricate braid that circled her head. It looked like a crown, Queen of the castoffs, she thought. The door to the room clicked open, startling them both.</p><p>Madame Tixinn swept in and looked Ingrid up and down, “You’ve worked your magic once again, Maya.” Tixinn held a hand to Ingrid’s cheek.</p><p>  “Come, there’s work for you to do now,” Tixinn said, leading Ingrid by the hand out of the room. Ingrid glanced back at Maya, who was looking back at her with melancholy.</p><p>Once out of the room, she held back and spoke up, “I can’t do this Madame Tixinn, I’m not sure what it is you wish me to do but I have a pretty good idea and... I can’t do it.” Madame Tixinn wrinkled her nose as if Ingrid had just produced something disgusting in front of her, then she drew back her hand and struck Ingrid across the face.</p><p>  “Now look what you have made me do. I could have marred that pretty face of yours,” Tixinn said, with a sickly sweet smile on her face.</p><p>  “While you’re here, you will address me as Madame, and as for not doing as your asked, next time you think you can’t do it, it won’t be me who deals with you, it will be my boys. Now let’s go,” Tixinn pushed Ingrid ahead of her into a room.</p><p>This room wasn’t like Maya’s, it was pure white from floor to ceiling. Full-length mirrors adorned the walls at regular intervals, Ingrid looked up to find mirrors on the ceiling above the bed and she shuddered.</p><p>  “I have a client lined up for you already, he’s going to love you, you’re going to be a great asset here,” Tixinn cooed and took Ingrid’s hands in hers, “Your name will be Ziame, you will answer by that name for the clients, you will make sure the clients enjoy themselves at all times, you will do whatever the client asks, now sit,” Tixinn left the room with no further instructions.</p><p>Ingrid bit her bottom lip and tried to suppress the tears.</p><p>
  <em>You’re a shield maiden and you’re not fighting back, you’re pathetic.</em>
</p><p>Part of her wanted to wreck this room and then punch ‘Madame’ in the face. She had no weapons, no idea what planet this was, no friends here and no way out. Ingrid certainly didn’t want to meet this client. She knew what was expected.</p><p>She wasn’t a Virgin, hadn’t been since she got drunk with some Asgardian warriors and had slept with one of them. Gunnar, that was his name... they had flirted for months and one night, when the drinks flowed, the sexual tension came to a head.</p><p>She had enjoyed that night and Gunnar was sweet, but she hadn’t been interested in anything more. The memory filled her chest with an aching sensation. She wasn’t Asgardian by birth, but she still thought of Asgard as her home. She tried the door and found it locked.</p><p><em>Of course they locked you in</em>.</p><p>The room wasn’t filled with anything to pass the time, so she lay down on the bed. At least it was comfortable. Her eyelids felt weighted, and they pulled themselves down over her eyes. She didn’t fight it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Saved</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ingrid jumped up to a knock on the door. A darker sky outside told her she’d been asleep. Was she supposed to answer it? Or maybe just tell them to enter... She didn’t really want to do either, but she figured that the person on the other side was coming in one way or another. Another knock sounded. They were obviously waiting for her invitation.</p><p>  “Erm... e-enter,” Ingrid stuttered. The door latch clicked open and a young man shuffled in.</p><p>He didn’t meet her gaze at first. Ingrid had unconsciously backed further away to a far wall. She looked him over, he was tall, almost as tall as Tixinn. His frame was slender, everything about him was long and thin, from face to his legs. He held his hands together in front of him, spindly fingers intertwined.</p><p>His eyes, brown and soft looking, pale thin lips curved in a barely visible smile. His skin, astonishingly pale, contrasted against his black as night hair, that didn’t stop at the nape of his neck and travelled down beneath his shirt in a strip.</p><p>  “Ziame yes?, I’m Andor... might I say how beautiful you are, Madame Tixinn did not exaggerate your beauty,” his eyes finally met hers as he finished his introduction.</p><p>Ingrid didn’t move or speak at all, her hands grasped at the wall behind her like they were searching for a secret door out of here.</p><p>
  <em>Maybe you can reason with him, he seems nice... For a guy that’s buying sexual services.</em>
</p><p>  “Ah, Madame confided in me that you were new here, perhaps I can help you feel more comfortable,” Andor offered as he closed the space between himself and Ingrid. Ingrid glanced at the door nervously, “Oh you can’t leave my sweet Ziame, Madame has her men at the door.”</p><p>Andor was less than three feet away now. He raised his arms out towards her and she now noticed he had only four digits on each hand. She didn’t want him to touch her, trying to switch off and shut out her surroundings.</p><p>
  <em>Perhaps it will be easier that way.</em>
</p><p>Without thinking it through, she tried to sidestep his grasp, but he caught her in his hands, “Oh I don’t think so, I paid for this time and I’m going to enjoy myself.”</p><p>He didn’t seem so sweet now as he forced her onto the bed with a strength that he didn’t seem like he should have. Ingrid felt her insides boiling with rage, she’d been dragged through a forest for hours, sold by someone she considered a friend, manhandled by thugs, dressed up like a tart and now... being forced to do things she didn’t want to.</p><p>Her hand shot up to Andor’s throat as she jumped up off the bed and tightened her grip. Andor choked and writhed in her grasp, and he reached a hand to her face and tried to push her away.</p><p>  “I am not yours to touch and I am not yours to buy,” Ingrid had never known rage like it.</p><p>She felt like she was just a passenger along for the ride and someone else was driving. She hadn’t noticed as Andor had retrieved a knife he had hidden beneath his shirt and reacted too late when he slashed at her. She pushed him backwards, and the blade caught her arm. He had the advantage as she defended herself and he whipped the knife across her midsection.</p><p>Ingrid cried out as she held a hand to stem the flow, Andor had backed away and held the knife in front of him defensively. His lips drawn into a cruel smile, he looked at the red that spilled from Ingrid’s stomach and his tongue flashed across his lips.</p><p>  “Why would you even try to resist me?” he pointed his weapon at her and crept forward.</p><p>Ingrid’s mind raced. No weapons, injured, alone. Fight Ingrid, fight her mind demanded. She stood straight, fighting against the disequilibrium, Andor almost looked pleased that she wanted to continue. She felt drunk as she swung at him but she landed the hit anyway, Andor landed on his back a good 10ft away with a sickening thud.</p><p>  “BITCH!” he spat, getting to his feet.</p><p>Ingrid raised her fists even though her vision was wavering, she felt like she was swimming. She muttered something incoherent and then collapsed into a heap, a not entirely unpleasant sensation washing over her.</p><p>She heard a crash somewhere in the room, dulled by the sound of her own heartbeat in her ears. The low rumble of a man’s voice and a blur of green standing over Andor was all she could make out, then Andor’s lifeless body fell next to hers, his dark eyes staring back at her.</p><p>Ingrid felt a burst of pain as hands pulled at her and then she was moving... well, someone was moving with her in their arms. Her face against someone’s chest and a smell that she recognised but couldn’t place. They moved fast.</p><p>  “Don’t worry... ” the voice started, but Ingrid missed the rest, slipping in and out of the black. The sensation that all her limbs had gone numb was the only thing she felt now.</p><hr/><p>Loki kept his pace on the journey back, pumping his legs through the undergrowth. The run wasn’t hard, not with his Jötunn physiology. The light was considerably dimmer now however, and the thick undergrowth was harder to navigate. All the while his mind had been racing. This wasn’t playing a prank on friends or intimidating the nameless, faceless beings of another realm.</p><p>
  <em>You stalked her, took her and sold her, but why her?</em>
</p><p>He could have taken any being from any realm and yet he chose her, his friend...</p><p><em>She’s more than a friend and you know it.</em> </p><p>He stopped dead, his skin crackled with realisation, he felt as though he’d been hit with one of Thor’s lightening bolts. He started running again, a little faster this time. The lights and the music from the seedy city were distinguishable now.</p><p>Now his mind turned to more sinister thoughts, not that he wanted it to. He could punish himself later, hell she could punish him. She could beat him to a bloody pulp if it would make the situation better, he would welcome it.</p><p>He was at the edge of the forest now. He couldn’t be himself or Ulf, so shifted into that of the brute he’d stopped earlier. This should stop any unwanted attention.</p><p>It was almost night now. The garish glow of the lights in every window was painful. Women and men from various worlds in all shapes, sizes and colours still flaunting themselves in the windows. No doubt they’d all ended up here in similar ways.</p><p>
  <em>And you were going to leave her here to face the same fate.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Yes, but when I sold her, I thought she was to be a housekeeper, nothing else.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And yet that doesn’t make what you did any better.</em>
</p><p>Loki ceased his internal back and forth as he reached the pleasure house of Madame Tixinn and second guessed his choice of face. Perhaps Ulf would be a better choice, he had an idea of how to play this.</p><p>Ducking up an alleyway between two buildings, he shifted back into Ulf. Entering Madame Tixinn’s place, he was greeted by another one of Tixinn’s men, simple thugs that she’d no doubt acquired for their imposing stature and intimidating features.<br/>Tall, muscular and not so bright. He didn’t appear to remember Loki from earlier.</p><p>Loki spoke first, “I would like to see Madame Tixinn please, I’d like to spend some time and some credits in her establishment.”</p><p>  “Wait here,” came the reply from the thug. Voice low and rumbling, exactly how Loki expected it to be.</p><p>The thug left the room briefly and came back out to inform Loki that Madame Tixinn would be through shortly.</p><p>  “Ulf, back already?” Tixinn drawled smoothly.</p><p>  “Must I remind you that all business between us has ended and all transactions are final?” she added.</p><p>  “Oh you have the wrong idea my dearest Madame Tixinn, it occurred to me that I had not had the chance to enjoy the company of the lovely woman I sold to you earlier,” Loki responded.</p><p>  “And you wish to buy some time with the exquisite girl you brought me earlier?”</p><p>  “Well, yes, that was what I was hoping for... and you get some of your credits back,” he said with a grin.</p><p>  “Well... Ulf, unfortunately Ziame, as I have named her, is busy with another client,” she noted the disappointment on his face and added, “But if you stay a while I can fit you in right after she’s finished entertaining.”</p><p>Before Loki could reply, one of Tixinn’s guards came in. Loki could only pick out a few words, something about a commotion coming from the room. Tixinn glanced over at Loki and noted his concerned expression that he wasn’t aware he was even making, she spoke first to her guard, “Don’t worry, Andor knows how to handle himself and he enjoys a little rough play, he’ll call if he needs us.”</p><p>  “Some of our clients get a little hands on but... ” She trailed off as she turned, Loki had disappeared.</p><p>Outside, Loki caught his breath.</p><p>
  <em>Think think think.</em>
</p><p>Looking up at the windows he saw that none of them were covered. He needed to get up there fast and find her room. Coming round to the back of the building he spotted a light on in a second-floor window, with a quick glance around him he scaled the side of the building using decorative stones that patterned the exterior.</p><p>He peeked into an all white room and then all he could see was red. Ingrid lay on the floor grasping her abdomen and a tall, spindly man was approaching her with a blade drawn.</p><p>Loki punched the glass of the window through was on the man in a second, he dropped him to his knees and kicked him repeatedly. Anger flowed from him like blood from a wound and Loki would never deny enjoying it.</p><p>Sensing the man was close to death he picked him up from the floor with both his hands at the side of the tall man’s face. He was taller than Loki but that didn’t stop Loki from snapping his neck and finishing him for good. He dropped the man’s lifeless body and rushed to Ingrid. The wound across her stomach was deep and long, but the flesh looked strange, almost burned. The thudding of fists at the door was enough to kick start him into action,</p><p>  “Don’t worry ok? Just hang onto me,” he cradled Ingrid in his arms, and leapt from the window.</p><p>The landing was a little rough, but he leapt straight into a run, heading for the cover of the trees again. Loki ran until he felt safe enough to tend to Ingrid, he couldn’t see the wound in as much detail here but he knew they had poisoned her.</p><p>The blade must have delivered a poison on contact, he knew nothing of what poison it was or what it was doing to her but he did the only thing he could think of.</p><p>He placed his hands on her wound and let his magic do the work, it drained energy from him to heal her wound and it was taking a lot. With each passing second he felt more of him slip away. He didn’t know if it was working until he heard Ingrid draw breath sharply. Then and only then did he let the darkness take him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Escape</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ingrid’s eyes opened to darkness. An ache deep in her abdomen told her she was still alive. Her hand explored the area where Andor had slashed her. Instead of blood and an open wound, her fingers found a raised scar. She was no longer in Madame Tixinn’s, that much she could figure out. She just didn’t know how she’d got to the forest or how she was still alive.</p><p>But she did. Someone had killed Andor and taken her, they had saved her. A siren and shouting in the distance brought her out of her confusion. The urge to run took over, and she shakily got to her feet. Ingrid barely moved a foot before tripping over a solid object on the floor. She felt around and strained her eyes in the black.</p><p>  “LOKI!” she exclaimed. He was unconscious but breathing, but his breaths were ragged.</p><p>
  <em>Oh shit, now what? Did he save me? Did he... heal me?</em>
</p><p>She wanted to leave him there, she should leave him there. Yet a little part of her nagged inside to take him with her. He outweighed her by considerable amounts in both height and weight.</p><p>
  <em>You’ve carried Thor before and Loki is smaller, piece of cake so get moving.</em>
</p><p>She lugged Loki over her shoulders and groaned from the pain she felt in her stomach, then she moved as fast as she could in the opposite direction to the shouting.<br/>Her years on Asgard had made her almost as strong as an Asgardian, she was almost like them in every way... her only difference was not being born there. And yet carrying Loki was a Herculean task. Between the pain and his weight, she could admit that she was struggling. Despite the struggle she spoke out loud to him, waiting for a response, but up to now, he’d remained unconscious.</p><p>  “I don’t even know where your ship is, you idiot, I don’t even know the planet we’re on.”</p><p>Ingrid couldn’t hear the shouting behind her anymore, nor could she hear the loud music of the pleasure town, so she risked resting for a while. Easing Loki from her shoulders with a groan, she laid him on a cleared-out patch of the forest floor. Looking over him as best she could she discovered his breathing had improved, his face was seemed peaceful.</p><p>He had no external injuries, so she couldn’t explain his unconscious state. Ingrid gave him a swift kick to his side, not hard enough to cause harm but hopefully enough to wake him... nothing. She stretched her limbs and sat by his side, tapping her foot impatiently, aware of the fact that her pursuers may still be closing in.</p><p>  “Urrrrgggghhh,” was the sound that came from Loki as he shifted his weight on the ground. Ingrid ceased her tapping and waited for him to come around.</p><p>  “Ingrid?” Loki called out.</p><p>  “I’m here,” Ingrid replied.</p><p>  “Oh thank the Norns you’re alive,” he exclaimed, getting to his feet and making Ingrid twitch uncomfortably. His sudden change in demeanour was unsettling and she was filled with a wave of burning anger that spilled out of her all at once.</p><p>  “Thank the Norns? It’s thanks to you that I ended up like this anyway,” she replied clenching her fists.</p><p>  “You... You bring me here, sell me to a pleasure house and then leave me... Then what, you suddenly develop a hero complex and come to rescue me?”</p><p>Ingrid’s breathing was shaky and her arms trembled, she couldn’t hold it in anymore and swiftly punched him in the nose. Satisfaction washed over her as he stumbled backwards holding his face, she’d drawn blood and it felt good.</p><p>Loki wiped the blood away, “I deserved that.”</p><p>He moved towards her and she punched him again, this time in his chest and he paused for a moment and then continued moving closer. Ingrid launched herself at him and he fell to the ground with her astride him, hitting him repeatedly until her hands were numb and he just took it.</p><p>She rolled off him as tears pricked at her eyes and she didn’t flinch when his hand rested on her shoulder. Turning to look at him, she saw the damage she’d caused, mostly a few cuts and bruises and she knew he’d heal fast.</p><p>  “We need to move,” Loki urged. Ingrid didn’t respond, instead, she got up and started walking.</p><p>  “It’s this way,” Loki called from behind her and Ingrid wondered if she should punch him again.</p><hr/><p>After thirty-minutes of silent walking, Ingrid was the first to speak. She hadn’t really wanted to, she wanted to stay angry and let him feel it.</p><p>  “Why did you take me?,” She asked, hearing the sharp intake of breath from Loki at the question.</p><p>  “You were the first person I thought of,” was Loki’s response. She stayed silent to indicate that she wanted him to carry on, he took the hint.</p><p>  “And because I’m lost, I needed a way out and the way out doesn’t come cheap,” Loki continued.</p><p>  “Lost how?” Ingrid pushed.</p><p>  “Oh just my usual hijinks getting me in way over my head, only this time I can’t talk my way out of it,” Loki said with a grin.</p><p>  “So why not come back to Asgard? We thought you were dead, all of us mourned for you... Thor, Odin and Frigga would be so happy to know that you’re alive. They can help you.”</p><p>  “Ingrid... I’m not who you think I am, I’m not even who I thought I was. Odin and Frigga lied to me and I’d prefer it if they continued to think that I’m dead, there’s nothing for me in Asgard.”</p><p>  “Then who are you?”</p><p>  “A monster, Odin knew it and he treated me accordingly.”</p><p>Ingrid could only wonder what had happened, she knew that Loki had gotten himself into trouble and that Thor had tried to reach him. But Odin and Thor had been a little light on the details as if it pained them to speak of it.</p><p>  “A monster wouldn’t come back to save me,” Ingrid said. Loki didn’t reply this time.</p><p>Whatever door she had opened into his mind, he had promptly shut again. Despite this, she felt a desire to continue pushing him, he’d talk eventually. She knew the one thing Loki can’t keep shut for long was his mouth, for now, she talked... Of Asgard and Earth, people she’d met and places she’d been. Loki grunted in acknowledgement occasionally, but he’d ceased his verbal communication with her.</p><hr/><p>Ingrid was stopped in her tracks by Loki who held up a hand to halt her, he crouched in the undergrowth and Ingrid followed suit. Holding a finger to his lips he signalled for her to look through the trees, Ingrid could just make out a ship in the low light and surrounding it were Tixinn’s thugs.</p><p>  “Oh great,” she mouthed at Loki. He looked offended in return.</p><p>  “I don’t have any weapons, do you?” Ingrid whispered.</p><p>  “I always have weapons,” Loki whispered back, retrieving four daggers from thin air. He grinned at her and she felt a muscle tighten in her stomach as he did and she took two of the daggers he held out for her.</p><p>  “There are four of her men, you take two and I take two?” Ingrid suggested.</p><p>  “Of course, a good gentleman shares. Go out first and distract them, I’ll be right behind you.”</p><p>Ingrid wasn’t sure she trusted him right now, but they needed to get off this planet. So she rolled her eyes and launched herself out from the trees and took a defensive position.</p><p>All four thugs rounded on her and Loki was nowhere to be seen, Bastard, she thought. The thugs were bigger but she was faster, she concerned herself with the closest one and easily dodged his slow swing as he tried to grab her. She was by his side before he realised and she slashed at his waist, he halted for a split second and then continued his attempt to seize her.</p><p>A second thug was joining the fight and Ingrid made a quick strategy in her head, the first thug was back in front of her and the second was coming to her right.<br/>She jumped backwards as the first lunged and she rounded on the second before he’d processed what she was doing.</p><p>They might have been tough when she wasn’t fighting back, but like this, they were just big dumb muscle. Mindful of the where the first thug was she taunted the second and was then behind him as he raised his fist.</p><p>Mounting his back she buried her dagger in his neck and he howled out in pain, by now the third and fourth thugs had begun to join the fight. The second brute was injured but not dead, she’d hoped a dagger to the neck might have done it but they were obviously as tough as they looked.</p><p>She looked around for Loki again, still not there and he wasn’t on the ship. Thug’s one, three and four blocked her path to the ship, thug two was still rolling in pain and the floor. She pulled her dagger from his neck and ran at thug one, she jumped as she got in front of him meaning to land on his shoulders but he grabbed her foot mid-jump and forcefully swung her down to the ground.</p><p>Winded but fine, Ingrid ran at him again but didn’t jump this time. She slid feet first at his ankles and let his weight take him down, then she jumped in the air and brought her dagger down with all her might.</p><p>Three and four were almost upon her now and she assumed her defensive stance again, they raised their fists in union and Ingrid slashed with her daggers. Then they fell to the ground, these two were most definitely dead this time. Ingrid wasn’t quite sure how. Looking around in confusion, she saw Loki smirking from near the ship. There was still a faint glow of magic about him and Ingrid surged with anger.</p><p>  “You let me fight them and you could have just... you know,” she wiggled her fingers to demonstrate her point.</p><p>  “Would you get anywhere in life if you didn’t have to fight sometimes? Besides, if I do all the work then it takes all the fun out of it,” Loki replied with a wink.</p><p>  “And I got to see how much you’d progressed with your dagger work and it was sloppy at best,” Loki added.</p><p>Ingrid seethed and get teeth gritted so hard she thought she might break them.</p><p>  “Come along now Ingrid, those can’t be the only people Tixinn sent after us,” Loki motioned for her to follow as he boarded his ship.</p><p>  “Tell me again why you’re not just poofing in and out of places,” said Ingrid as they entered the ship.</p><p>  “I most certainly don’t poof and I’m concealing myself from Heimdall, I don’t wish him to know my whereabouts,” Loki replied.</p><p>  “But you can still use your magic?” Ingrid pushed.</p><p>Loki pinched the bridge of his nose, “Yes... do you ever stop asking questions?”</p><p>  “No, I don’t. Frigga says I have an inquisitive nature and that I should never change,” Ingrid wished she hadn’t brought up Frigga because Loki’s face changed visibly at the mention of his mother’s name.</p><p>Ingrid looked around the ship, it was a junk pile. She hadn’t really seen much of it on her way out, now she could see it was pretty much the same as the other junk trader ship. It was all dim lights and grey metal, with indeterminate stains all over the walls and floor that may have been blood for all she knew.</p><p>She supposed that she’d have to put up with it, she couldn’t call Heimdall because the Bifrost was still being repaired, she hadn’t thought of something like this when she left Asgard.</p><p>She’d asked Loki if Heimdall could see her, Loki told her no and that even if he could, it would take too much dark energy to retrieve her since they were outside of the Nine Realms. She took that to mean that he was hiding her presence too. Loki motioned for her to take a seat next to him as her prepared the ship to take off.</p><p>  “So how will you get me home Loki? You can’t exactly fly into Asgard, can’t you just leave me on Earth?”</p><p>  “There’s more than one way into Asgard, Ingrid. I know what I’m doing,” Loki sounded exasperated, “Now, strap in tight because this ship isn’t exactly smooth.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Dreams and Magic</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ingrid didn’t truly relax until she saw the planet growing smaller, seeing now that it was mostly green forests with densely populated areas dotted around. She was glad to see the back of it, relieved that Loki hadn’t abandoned her there.</p><p>She was still no closer to figuring out what his intentions had been, she just hoped that he didn’t reconsider again. She watched him while he busied himself at the controls, she’d never had to pilot a ship before so she could only wonder what all his button-pushing was for, he could have been planning to eject her into the vastness of space, Ingrid gripped her chair at the thought. Loki’s gaze turned to her and caught her staring, and she squirmed as he smiled.</p><p>  “Would you like a turn?” Loki offered, still smiling. She couldn’t decide which one bothered her more right now, nice Loki or bad Loki. When he was bad, she sort of expected it from him, when he was nice, she didn’t know if it was genuine or if he was planning something else.</p><p>  “Oh... No, it’s ok... I’d crash somehow,” Ingrid replied.</p><p>  “Well, in that case, let’s show you to your quarters... It’s two days until we reach our destination,” he said as he stood up from his seat.</p><p>  “I have quarters? In this thing?”</p><p>  “Did you believe I was going to make you sleep amongst the junk?”</p><p>Ingrid didn’t answer, she’d assumed that he had intended that very thing. He led her down a dark and grimy walkway towards the back of the ship. More stains and more junk. The last time she’d been in a junk traders ship, she had been confined to the hold, apparently, the rest of the ship was much the same. He stopped outside a door, pushed a button and waited for it to open. The sliding door shuddered and squealed as it slid open.</p><p>Ingrid cast him a glance that was equal parts disbelief and disgust, Loki just shrugged and entered first. The lights came on as he stepped in, and Ingrid found herself pleasantly surprised. It had to be one of the only areas on this ship that wasn’t in complete disarray. A clean single bed was set into the far wall, partially enclosed. The floor was smooth and grey and clean. A metal dresser and chair were up against the wall to her left and to her right was another door.</p><p>As if Loki sensed her intrigue about the extra door, he walked towards it. This door moved much more smoothly than the other. It revealed a small bathroom, clean as the rest of the room. She looked at Loki, who appeared to be rather pleased with himself.</p><p>  “Well this is... nice, I mean... compared to the rest of your ship,” Ingrid said.</p><p>  “Well the royal suite is currently undergoing refurbishment, so this will have to do,” Loki retorted.</p><p>  “I believe there are some kind of overalls in the drawers, so you can get clean and put some fresh clothes on,” he continued.</p><p>Ingrid took the opportunity to look down at herself, the ridiculous skin-tight gold outfit, barely covering her especially with the huge slash in it. Bloodstains covered her visible skin, her hands were dirty and bloody and she realised her face would be the same. She glanced at Loki’s hands which were covered in her blood and he looked down at them too as if he hadn’t realised.</p><p>  “I’ll be in the room at the end if you need anything of course. I’ll leave you to rest,” he said as he left the room.</p><p>The door closed behind him and she finally had a chance to process the events of the day, all her body suddenly felt like it was too heavy for her to hold up. However the desire to be clean, outweighed her desire for sleep, checking the door was fully closed, Ingrid began to strip. She winced as she peeled off the gold monstrosity off her body, her fingers ran over the ugly red scar.</p><p>  “I hope this water is hot,” she said out loud as she stepped into the shower.</p><p>She turned a knob protruding from the wall, a banging noise sounded in the wall and for a few seconds, nothing happened. Finally, she was hit by a jet of deliciously hot water, she let it wash away the dirt and the blood, she tried to wash away the whole day. Feeling sorry that her hair was going to have to be unravelled, she pulled at the braids in her hair, it went cascading back down to her calves.</p><p>Once she was clean, she stayed under the water just for the sensation and she wondered how long the hot water would last. Ingrid begrudgingly dragged herself from the shower and found a towel, wrapping it around herself she hunted for other personal grooming items. She managed to find a brush and the overalls Loki mentioned, the clothes were slightly too big for her but it felt good to wear something clean and comfortable.</p><p>Laying down on the bed she thought about how much she wanted to hate Loki and yet she didn’t. She was angry about what he put her through and was still no closer to finding out what his goal had been, but she couldn’t hate him. Closing her eyes she let herself drift off to sleep.</p><hr/><p>She was awakened by a knock at the door, “Loki?” she called out. The door slid open and Loki hovered in the doorway,</p><p>  “May I come in?”</p><p>  “Umm... sure, is everything ok?” Ingrid asked, wondering what was so important that he had come here to wake her.</p><p>  “I... err, haven’t really had the chance to apologise to you for everything that has happened.”</p><p>  “Loki, what?” Ingrid started but was stopped by Loki holding up his hand, he walked over to her bed and sat down.</p><p>  “You must know that you’re incredibly important to me,” he continued as he held a hand to her face. Ingrid’s stomach flipped pleasantly at the contact and her heart rate quickened.</p><p>  “Allow me to show you just how important you are?” he asked and Ingrid only nodded.</p><p>That was all the confirmation he needed as he brought his lips down to hers and Ingrid gasped against his lips. The kiss was gentle at first before their lips parted and Loki explored her mouth fiercely with his tongue, Ingrid felt weak and she inhaled his earthy scent, it filled her with a warmth that knew had been missing.</p><p>She matched his rhythm and fought back with her tongue with a desire equal to his own. Her mind reeled at the turn of events but the sweet taste of him in her mouth was enough to wash those thoughts away. Loki’s hand dropped from her face and reached beneath the covers to find her breast, he moaned into her mouth as he traced a soft fingertip over her nipple.</p><hr/><p>Ingrid shot up in bed, heart racing and a soft warmth at her core. She scanned her room, no sign of Loki.</p><p>  “Fuck! Well, that was new,” she said aloud to herself.</p><p>Deciding that there was no way she was going back to sleep yet, she swung her legs out of bed and swept her hair from her face. Looking at herself in the mirror, she looked much better than yesterday, her face had colour again.</p><p>Now she just had to figure out what the dream was about, no doubt it was because she’d had a rough day and now her brain was reconciling the events and obviously it worked in a mysterious way that she would never understand, Yes, of course, that’s it she thought and decided to question it no further. Sleep was still off the table, so exploring the ship was what she decided to do.</p><p>Exiting her room and wincing at the sound of the door she looked down the hall to Loki’s room, she absolutely needn’t bother him with her sleeplessness. Exploring the ship was as boring as she thought it would be, there was nothing there except dirt and mess. She’d hoped for something fun she could spend an hour or so investigating, but the ship was completely lacking in entertainment for her.</p><p>She traced her steps back to her room and then made her way from there to the cockpit, in the hope that staring out into space would bring on sleep. Her heart skipped a beat when she approached the seats and saw Loki’s tall, lean figure slumped in the pilot’s seat. She took the opportunity to truly look at him, feeling slightly voyeuristic watching him in this vulnerable state. Even sleeping he looked worried, Ingrid thought it must be exhausting to be so tense. He was always so sure of himself that Ingrid had thought he’d sleep like a baby, but he looked anything but peaceful. His pale skin looked much worse in the lights of the ship, but despite it, he was still incredibly handsome.</p><p>  “Did you need something or did you just come to stare at me?” Loki asked with one eye looking at her and one eyebrow arched questioningly. Ingrid almost fell backwards at the sound of his voice.</p><p>  “I couldn’t sleep. I had a bad dream,” she lied. It hadn’t been bad at all, unexpected but she certainly didn’t feel disturbed upon waking. Loki made a noise of acknowledgement in response.</p><p>  “And why are you here? Didn’t you go to your room?” Ingrid continued.</p><p>  “I fully intended to, I found myself doing a lot more thinking than I wanted to if I’m completely honest.”</p><p>  “And when are you ever completely honest?”</p><p>  “My dear Ingrid, your words wound me deeply.”</p><p>Ingrid got out of her seat and shrugged as she walked back to her room.</p><p>  “Sweet dreams,” Loki shouted as she walked off.</p><p>Back in her room, Ingrid felt the urge for sleep swallow her whole. Laying back on the bed, the last thing she saw was Loki.</p><p>  “Now what?” Ingrid groaned as she woke up to an alarm blaring away.</p><p>Her room light was replaced by a dull red glow. If this was Loki’s idea of being funny then she wasn’t going to be happy, but the door opened up to smoke in the corridor outside her room. She made her way to the cockpit, eyes stinging and lungs burning from the smoke.</p><p>“Oh shit!” she exclaimed, finding Loki slumped over in the pilot seat. Evidence of a small fire and some electrical damage was on the controls in front of him, she threw Loki over her shoulder as an automated fire system vented the smoke from the ship. She made her way back down to his room and laid him on his bed, noting that it was considerably bigger than hers. She tried to wake him unsuccessfully, he had no injuries but black soot had accumulated around his nostrils. She went over him one last time.</p><p>
  <em>Breathing, check.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Pulse, check.</em>
</p><p><em>Injuries, nope</em>.</p><p>Ingrid couldn’t figure it out, she left him briefly to check the flight systems in the cockpit, multiple warning lights flashed on different screens. She didn’t know how to pilot a spaceship let alone figure out what all this meant, she hesitantly prodded at a few controls.</p><p>At least the lights were back on and the alarms had stopped, but feeling hopelessly lost with it all she went back to check on Loki. He hadn’t moved at all, Ingrid was beginning to get quite worried, He’s Asgardian, capable of withstanding enormous amounts of punishment and still be standing so why won’t he wake up.</p><p>For the first time in many years, she felt out of her depth and incapable. She never stopped to think about how much she didn’t know, only ever focused on fighting and becoming a shieldmaiden.</p><p>Ingrid had never taken the time to learn much else, Loki on the other hand has always excelled academically. He was intelligent and his magic was unmatched on Asgard... Except maybe for Odin and Frigga. She didn’t know what to do next and she was alone again, stranded again and helpless again.</p><p>Ingrid lay down next to Loki and closed her eyes tightly, as though she would wake from a nightmare if she concentrated hard enough, sleep carried her away from reality.</p><hr/><p>A fog surrounded Ingrid, she was certain the sun had just been shining.</p><p>  “Thor?... Loki?” she called out, her voice was echoey and detached. Hadn’t they just been there, training with her in the field?</p><p>  “Ingrid,” Ingrid whipped round to locate the voice.</p><p>  “Ingrid!” The voice was more urgent now and Ingrid turned in circles to find the speaker.</p><p>  “Ingrid,” Two hands caught her as she spun around again.</p><p>  “Loki, what’s going on?” Ingrid asked. Loki’s hands went to her face, they made her shiver.</p><p>  “Listen to me, I need your help. When I healed you I used too much magic, I need for you to lend me your strength,” Loki said. Ingrid’s hands instinctively went to her scar, she hadn’t even thanked him.</p><p>  “My strength? I don’t even know how,” Ingrid replied.</p><p>  “Just wake up and take my hands, I’ll do the rest,” Loki instructed.</p><p>  “What happened to the ship?”</p><p>  “I’ll explain when I come round. Now wake up,” Loki tapped her forehead with those last words.</p><hr/><p>Ingrid opened her eyes and lay still as she recalled her dream, it was fading fast like sand through her fingers. I saw Loki, he needed me, she recalled. She scoured her mind for what he told her, the dream now in fragments like a broken mirror.<br/>The information she needed came to her with a jolt, she grasped Loki’s hands in hers and warmth enveloped them. The heat didn’t stop, instead, it intensified. Ingrid now felt like she had her hands in flames, teeth gritted, she held on and threw her head back and screamed.</p><p>The burning travelled up her arms and into her head, hot pokers of pain behind her eyes. Just as she reached the point of passing out into a void of agony, Loki opened his eyes and severed the connection, taking the white-hot pain away.<br/>Every beat of her heart felt like an explosion in her chest and each breath she took seemed like the air was out of reach. Loki placed a hand on her knee and caught her eyes with his, he breathed rhythmically until Ingrid matched him.</p><p>  “I am sorry Ingrid, that’s a painful thing for someone who doesn’t use magic.” Ingrid nodded slowly, even though the pain had gone, the memory of it lingered in her nerves.</p><p>  “I should go and check on the ship, see what state it’s in... I don’t imagine it will be good, I’ll be back very soon.” Ingrid could only nod again and Loki left without another word.</p><p>Her eyes screamed in their sockets for sleep but she fought it, Loki had only been gone for 30 minutes but she dragged herself off the bed to go and help. When she got to the cockpit, Loki appeared unusually flustered, tapping at controls in a way that seemed random to Ingrid.</p><p>  “So what’s the damage?” she asked, voice hoarse from a combination of smoke and fatigue.</p><p>  “Oh it’s certainly not as bad as I feared, we were struck by something and I wasn’t conscious enough to hear the warning signal,” Loki explained.</p><p>  “Something?” Ingrid probed.</p><p>  “Likely an asteroid, space debris perhaps that’s broke free from a nearby planet. It didn’t hit hard enough to cause any major damage but...” Loki paused.</p><p>  “But?” Ingrid pressed.</p><p>  “Well our fuel tank has been ruptured and we’re losing fuel. We don’t have enough to get to where I need to go but enough for us to make a stop, I’ve found an inhabited planet that we can reach.”</p><p>  “Well that doesn’t sound so bad, let’s do that then”</p><p>  “Ingrid, I know nothing of this planet or its people. They may not be able to help us, we may be stuck there.”</p><p>  “But we won’t be stuck there, you still have means of getting us home,” Ingrid reminded him.</p><p>  “Ingrid I can’t, they’ll know I’m alive. It’s better for everyone if they don’t.”</p><p>  “But Loki, I need-”</p><p>  “ENOUGH! Enough, I won’t reveal myself and that’s the end of it.”</p><p>  “You are a real bastard sometimes Loki, I hope you know that,” Ingrid turned on her heel and ran to her quarters, the pinpricks of tears in her eyes.</p><p>  “I know...” Loki whispered in reply, so Ingrid wouldn’t hear him.</p><hr/><p>Loki wanted to punch something, anything. A sensation of bugs surging beneath his skin forced his fist to the nearest object, he connected with metal and felt relief. He bemoaned the fact that she was never going to understand the things that tormented him night and day, why he was doing what he was doing. Everything was so easy in her eyes, she reminded him of Thor, righteous do-gooders with no sense of what it was like to struggle through life for something that belonged to you.</p><p>In their eyes, he should just be content with his life, but he’d felt anything but contentment for a long time. Always in Thor’s shadow, he finally understood why... Ingrid couldn’t find out, she’d treat him like a monster just like everyone else.</p><p>He was born to rule and if not Asgard then another world would be his Kingdom, he would find a way to get what he wanted. He set a course for the nearby planet, this time he’d hear any warnings.</p><p>On his way back to his room he stopped outside of Ingrid’s door and paused, the idea of apologising to her briefly flashed in his mind, he assumed she’d sooner punch him than speak to him right now and decided against it. Resigning himself to only being deserving of her hatred he continued to his room where he managed a few hours of fitful sleep, his dreams were garbled and disorientating. He gave up on any meaningful rest and settled on taking a shower instead.</p><hr/><p>Ingrid had fallen asleep without much trouble, sheer exhaustion had taken her and she awoke feeling much better. She stretched and it felt glorious as every little piece of her came to life, but getting out of bed something felt wrong, <em>she</em> felt wrong. She looked at herself in the mirror... there were no words, that was not her reflection.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Changing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ingrid had fallen asleep with little trouble, sheer exhaustion had taken her and she awoke to feel much better. She stretched, and it felt glorious as every little piece of her came to life, but getting out of bed something felt wrong, <em>she</em> felt wrong. She looked at herself in the mirror... there were no words, that was not her reflection.</p><p>  “LOKI!” She screamed as loud as she could, running out of her room and hitting the button outside his door.</p><p>  “Shit,” Ingrid exclaimed as she realised Loki was naked.</p><p>  “What the-” Loki shouted as he scrambled for a towel. Less concerned with being walked in on and more with the fact that he was looking at himself.</p><p>  “What the fuck did you do, Loki?” Ingrid cried.</p><p>  “I... I didn’t do this,” Loki replied, circling Ingrid. She looked exactly like him, except for the voice that was still hers.</p><p>  “Well something did this, I didn’t make myself look like you.”</p><p>  “I think you did.”</p><p>  “What? No, I didn’t.”</p><p>  “Well, not intentionally, but I can feel the magic in you. I’m guessing the connection we made earlier wasn’t one way,” Loki tried to explain.</p><p>  “You guess? You mean you don’t know? How can you not know?”</p><p>  “I’ve never had to use it before, this must be an after-effect,” Loki was clearly stifling a laugh now and Ingrid could only cry.</p><p>  “But I don’t want to be you, how long will this last?” she sniffed.</p><p>  “Being me? Not long if I can help you change back. But the magic, I don’t know.”</p><p>  “It suddenly occurs to me that for all displays of intellect you inflict on everyone, there’s an awful lot that you don’t know.”</p><p>  “Please don’t sulk, Ingrid, I look ghastly with that expression,” Loki stopped trying to hide his amusement and upon seeing the scowl his face now wore, he changed his approach.</p><p>  “Give me five minutes to dress, sit down on the bed and I’ll fix this,” he said, hoping his face displayed his sincerity to her.</p><p>Ingrid sat down and faced away so that Loki could get dressed, she’d been so concerned with her predicament she hadn’t even thought about what she’d seen when she’d ran into his room.</p><p>Now she had time to think, her brain wasted no time in reminding her and she blushed at the image. He’d been quick enough with the towel that she hadn’t seen everything, but she’d got a real eyeful of his lean and muscular frame. He lacked the physique of Thor, but he was still impressive, he had more grace and relied more on his wits but still possessed considerably physical prowess.</p><p>  “Are you ready,” Loki asked from behind her.</p><p>Ingrid turned her head to see Loki had opted for just his pants and he sat down on the bed cross-legged. She turned her body towards him and mimicked his position, realising how strange it must be for him to look at her like this. He held out his hands for her and she took them without question, the last time she’d touched his hands there had been excruciating pain, but now there was only the warmth of his flesh against hers.</p><p>  “Ingrid, I may have inadvertently passed my magic into you when you so kindly let me borrow your energy, as for your current state... that’s a little more complex,” As he spoke, he didn’t break his gaze with her at all, she felt a heat in her cheeks.</p><p>  “Usually it takes time to master shapeshifting, I believe yours is a response to your feelings. You’ve had a difficult couple of days and it’s quite obviously manifested itself like this,” he looked her up and down at those last words.</p><p>  “To change back, you need to be sure of yourself. Once you have a hold on that, you’ll be you again.”</p><p>  “But I know who I am,” Ingrid argued.</p><p>  “Do you? You’ve fought for many years to be accepted as an Asgardian, even when you were at a disadvantage. You’re a fighter and yet you didn’t fight me as I took you to that pleasure house to sell you, nor did you fight when I left you there”</p><p>  “You’re stronger than me, you know that. Why would I fight you? I’d lose.”</p><p>  “Because that’s what you do, it’s why Odin took you when you were young, it’s why you trained with me all those times as we grew up, you never stopped, until I took you and left you.”</p><p>  “I never thought you’d do that to me, I thought you were dead. Then I find out you’re alive, only you’re not you. What did I have left to fight for?”</p><p>  “Your life, your home, Thor, Odin, Frigga. You’re Ingrid, the shieldmaiden. Beautiful, kind and strong.”</p><p>
  <em>Wait did he say beautiful? </em>
</p><p>  “I’m Ingrid, the Midgardian who tried to kill Odin and ended up on a strange world, trying so hard to keep up with you all.”</p><p>  “And succeeded,” Loki reached out a hand and turned her head towards the mirror on his dresser so she could see she was herself again. She almost cried at her own reflection and she flung her arms around Loki before she could stop herself, to her surprise he didn’t recoil at the contact.</p><p>  “Thank you,” Ingrid whispered into his shoulder.</p><p>  “No thanks are necessary, it was all you,” he replied as she broke the embrace.</p><p>Ingrid suddenly felt rather sheepish and she was about to feel a lot worse after her next question, “Erm Loki, do you think I could stay in here until we get to where we’re going?”</p><p>  “You wish to trade rooms?”</p><p>  “Oh... No, I meant to stay in here with you, I just don’t want to be on my own,” Ingrid said.</p><p>  “Ah, well of course. I don’t mind sleeping on the floor.”</p><p>  “You don’t have to sleep on the floor, this is a huge bed, plenty of room for both of us.”</p><p>Loki nodded and gestured for her to lay down, once Ingrid had got comfortable he settled himself on the other side. Sleep came peacefully this time, for both of them.</p><hr/><p>  “Ingrid, wake up,” Loki said gently as he shook her.</p><p>  “Five more minutes,” she groaned.</p><p>  “I brought you breakfast.”</p><p>Ingrid felt her stomach ache at the thought of food, hunger had been the last thing on her mind, until she had food in front of her. She looked up at Loki with the most earnest expression of gratitude that she could muster, whilst disguising any shock at the gesture.</p><p>  “There’s, some kind of tea... I tried it, it’s quite delicious. Fruit and bread too, I made sure it was safe and edible.” Loki described the contents of the tray he held.</p><p>  “Where did you get all this?”</p><p>  “From the planet, we landed on.”</p><p>  “What? We’re here?”</p><p>  “Landed an hour ago, I decided to explore a little first. The locals are willing to help with repairs. In return for a little of our assistance. So eat up and then you can go and explore too,” he said with a smile.</p><p>She took the tray from him and ate with gusto, filling up an emptiness that she hadn’t felt before. Loki was right the tea was delicious, it was like sweet mint and berries. The fruit was even sweeter and the savoury flavour of the bread offset the fruit and tea.</p><p>After eating, she checked her reflection just to be sure she hadn’t changed anything in her sleep again. No Loki face this time she observed as she brushed her hair and tied it up, she smoothed out any creases in her overalls and ran to the docking bay of the ship.</p><p>Loki stood at the entrance, leaning against a set of crates. She was startled by a creature brushing past her, short fat body covered in a sort of shell, with long limbs protruding from it. Four arms rummaged through the piles of junk in the ship, despite its long legs it was still shorter than her. It whipped its head around quickly to look at Ingrid, its long floppy ears, rather like a rabbit, swung at the side of its head. It blinked large brown eyes with extraordinarily long eyelashes and then Iooked to Loki, who spoke to the creature in a language that Ingrid had never heard. The creature spoke to Ingrid and performed a rather awkward bow and then went back to digging through the trash on the ship.</p><p>  “What did you say?” Ingrid asked Loki.</p><p>  “I told him you are a Princess,” Loki said with a smile.</p><p>  “But I’m not a Princess, now they’re going to bow to me all the time.”</p><p>  “Mere semantics, you were raised like a Princess.” Ingrid rolled her eyes at him.</p><p>  “Who are they?” She asked.</p><p>  “Come, I’ll show you,” He replied, extending his hand to her.</p><p>She waved his hand away and walked out of the docking bay. The scene that greeted her almost took her breath away completely, the lushest trees she’d ever seen spread as far as she could see. Completely different from the forest planet that Loki had dumped her on, this planet was vibrant and warm. Towering trees and colourful flowers everywhere, so many colours and smells. The air was sweet with floral scents and she detected a hint of spices that made her hungry, the ship was in a small clearing surrounded by a busy marketplace.</p><p>She ran over to some remarkably large red flowers that were growing at the base of a tree, she stuck her nose deep into the flowers and inhaled, the scent made her whole body pleasantly warm. Struggling to take everything in at once, she whirled back around to Loki who had followed quietly behind her. Loki saw the huge grin she had on her face and his heart flipped, clearing his throat he said</p><p>  “Ingrid meet the Ustralans, the dominant species on Ustrala. They trade with travellers from all over the Galaxy.”</p><p>  “How are you able to speak to them?” Ingrid asked.</p><p>  “They’re rather adept at the universal traders language, I picked it up a couple of months ago.”</p><p>  “Oh you just picked it up,” Ingrid said with a mocking tone.</p><p>Loki ignored her mocking of him, “They’re going to repair the damage to the fuel tank, refill it and then we can be on our way, and I’ve told them that they may take whatever junk from that ship that they want.”</p><p>  “And they made this for you,” Loki added, holding up an outfit. It wasn’t much to look at, but it was clean and looked like it would fit a lot better than her overalls.</p><p>  “They made this?” Ingrid asked, surprised.</p><p>  “Well they modified some clothes they already had here, I may have browsed their wares before I woke you.”</p><p>  “Wow, they work fast,” she marvelled, ”and how did you know they’d fit?” she added.</p><p>  “I gave them a rough estimate of your size,” Loki replied sheepishly.</p><p>  “You measured me in my sleep didn’t you?” Ingrid asked with a raised eyebrow and an accusatory expression.</p><p>Loki didn’t dare meet her gaze as he offered her the clothes, Ingrid snatched them forcefully from his hands. She wasn’t really angry at him, but she certainly wouldn’t let him know it.</p><p>Back in her room on the ship she slipped into the clothes, the black pants felt tough like leather but the material was incredibly soft and they moved with her. Next was a black tank top made with the same material, she thought she’d feel stifled with the heat but the material breathed well. She tried on the jacket, black again, maybe that was too much black. She discarded the jacket thinking it more suited to a colder climate. She felt extremely comfortable, more confident and secure in well-fitting clothes. A knock sounded on the door and she shouted out for them to enter, it was Loki.</p><p>  “Thank you, bit too much black though don’t you think?” she asked his opinion.</p><p>  “Hmm, they were a little short on choice, but I think I can fix it for you,” Loki waved his hands and made her tank top change colour.</p><p>  “Green suits you,” he said with a wink. Ingrid had to admit, it didn’t look half bad.</p><p>  “I forgot to give you these,” he said, handing her a pair of black boots, “will these be ok or should I change the colour again?” he teased.</p><p>  “They’ll be fine, thank you,” she said as she took them off him and tried them on. Perfect fit, comfortable and sturdy, she was ready to go off and explore. Before she could second guess her actions, she threw her arms around Loki, this time he surprised her by bringing his hands to the small of her back. Her face burned with an intense feeling that she couldn’t quite describe, she pulled away and turned to the door.</p><p>  “Come on then,” she said to Loki, he smiled his crooked smile and followed behind her.</p><p>Ingrid thought he seemed different, quieter for sure and more at ease, maybe it was the planet they were on, she certainly felt happier here. A few of the Ustralans bowed as she walked past and she heard Loki snicker behind her, she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of getting annoyed with him.</p><p>As they reached the edge of the marketplace the buildings thinned out. The area became more residential and the buildings became wooden houses, some on the ground and others in the trees.</p><p>The Ustralans here were going about their lives, picking fruit from trees and plants, she watched as one nursed a small child. The baby didn’t have an outer shell like the older Ustralans and she wondered if the grew them or made them. Ingrid followed her nose to a patch of small blue and yellow flowers, they danced in the breeze and Ingrid thought they smelled like baked Apple Tarts.</p><p>  “Loki you have to smell these flowers,” before he had time to protest, she shoved a bunch of them under his nose.</p><p>  “Yes, delightful,” he responded with sarcasm, in truth he really did think they smelled delightful. They reminded him of a field of flowers on Asgard, where he’d go and lay in the sun, he’d taken Ingrid there once when she’d been anxious about her training.</p><p>  “What are you smiling about?” Ingrid asked him and he realised he <em>had</em> been smiling.</p><p>  “It pleases me to see you happy,” came the answer she was not expecting at all.</p><p>  “Loki are you feeling ok?”</p><p>  "I can assure you that this is the best I have felt in a long time, come on it’s going to get dark soon and there’s something that I wanted to show you,” he held out his hand again and this time she took it.</p><p>Loki was right, it was already starting to get dark and the forest changed in response. A hint of silver ran through everything and the warmth she’d first experienced was replaced by a fresh breeze, even the smells in the air became more earthy. Ingrid could smell something like Pine and freshwater,</p><p>  “The days are shorter here?” she asked him.</p><p>  “They are roughly half the length of an Asgardian day,” he responded.</p><p>Ingrid hummed in thought, “that’s probably why they work so fast. So where are you taking me?”</p><p>  “Somewhere, now come on,” he said, pulling on her hand to make her go faster.</p><p>She let him lead her onwards until he stopped and let go of her hand, he faced her and asked her to close her eyes. She didn’t ask why, she trusted him, now more than she had the day before. After what he did, she should be running away from him, so what was drawing her to him? What was different about him now, he was still the same Loki, even now he could be planning to trick her, but something in her told her that he wasn’t.</p><p>Loki moved behind her and placed his hands over her eyes, she flinched a little at first but relaxed. Loki urged her forward and she took small, uncertain steps forward.</p><p>  “Careful, we’re moving through the undergrowth,” he said quietly into her ear, she giggled when his breath touched her ear.</p><p>  “Ok open your eyes.”</p><p>The sky had darkened much more than she was expecting and as her sight adjusted, she saw what Loki had brought her to. A very small clearing surrounded by exquisite foliage, their colours muted in the low light but with same silver glow, she’d seen before they got here.</p><p>Set into the mossy rock was a hot spring, she could see the steam billowing up into the low hanging branches of the trees. The whole scene was lit up by small glowing insects that sat on the leaves, it was sublime.</p><p>  “How did you find this?” she asked.</p><p>  “They told me about it, a spot fit for a Princess.”</p><p>  “I’m not a-”</p><p>  “Hush. Would you like to get in?” Loki cut her off. Ingrid squirmed a little, knowing that she’d have to undress.</p><p>  “I won’t look,” Loki added, sensing her discomfort.</p><p>He turned around theatrically to illustrate that he was definitely not going to look. She stripped down and gave a little shiver when the breeze hit her flesh, dipping a toe in the water first and finding it to be wonderfully hot, she lowered herself in until the water hit her chin.</p><p>  “I’m done,” she told him.</p><p>  “And are you going to turn around for me?” he asked.</p><p>  “Oh! yes, of course, sorry,” her cheeks blazed again at the thought of him getting in the spring with her. She hummed and stared up at the sky that she could see through the canopy, anything to distract her from the fact that a nude Loki was about to join her in a hot spring.</p><p>She heard him give a long sigh as he lowered himself in and she took that as a sign to turn back around. He didn’t need to lower himself as much as she had and his pale torso shone in the light, she’d seen him shirtless before when he and Thor had taken her to Lake Buri.</p><p>Now there was something different about it all, even when she walked in on him naked, something swelled up inside her making her feel awkward. Now she noticed the definition of his muscles, how smooth his skin looked, his black hair contrasted against his pale skin, how green his eyes were.</p><p>
  <em>You like him</em>
</p><p>
  <em>No, I don’t</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Yes you do... you like him</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Oh no, I do don’t I?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Told you, you’re staring at him like he’s food</em>
</p><p>  “Ingrid?”</p><p>  “Huh? What?”</p><p>  “Are you feeling ok?” Loki asked her.</p><p>  “Yeah I’m totally fine, I’m just blown away by this place.” She answered hastily.</p><p>  “I’m pleased that you like it,” he smiled.</p><p>  “Loki-”</p><p>  “Oh, I almost forgot,” he cut her off and produced two tankards and a bottle from thin air, “It’s only Asgardian Ale I’m afraid.”</p><p>  “You keep Ale and tankards in... wherever it is you keep them?”</p><p>  “Heh, I hide a lot of things,”</p><p>  “Like you’re hiding what’s going on with you?” Loki paused mid pour at her question, then finished pouring Ingrid’s drink.</p><p>  “Ingrid all you need to know is that I can never go back to Asgard,” he handed Ingrid her drink, “I’m not Asgardian for a start, now I need to make my own future.”</p><p>  “What do you mean you’re not Asgardian? You’re a Prince of Asgard, son of Odin and Frigga.”</p><p>  “Do you promise not to think of me any differently?”</p><p>  “Yes, of course, but- ” Ingrid didn’t have to finish her question.</p><p>Before her eyes, Loki’s skin began to turn blue. His eyes became blood red and there were markings on his face and chest. She didn’t move, she just stared, the air and the water around her were cold and she could see her breath. She reached out her hand tentatively towards him, he turned his face away from her. Her fingers touched his cheek and a gasp escaped her lips at how cold he was.</p><p>He was a Frost Giant, her mind reeled, did Thor know? If he did, he hadn’t told her anything. Is this why Loki let everyone think he was dead?</p><p>  “Loki look at me,” she almost whispered and her teeth chattered. As he turned to her the blue faded from his skin and the heat returned to the water.</p><p>  “You’re Asgardian, this doesn’t change anything. You were raised Asgardian.”</p><p>Loki moved towards her and took the drink out of her hand, “I’m sorry that I got you caught up in this and I’m even more sorry about what I tried to do to you. I don’t know why I chose to take you, I could have taken any woman and I’d probably be long gone by now. Maybe that’s why I took you because I knew you’d try to stop me.”</p><p>He was an inch away from her face now, she felt the heat from his lips and her heart thudded so hard in her chest that she was sure he could hear it. She held his gaze as they stood in silence and then he closed the distance swiftly but gently, his lips brushed against hers with grace, a feather-light touch that set the nerves in her lips on fire.<br/>Her shuddering breaths were all he needed to tell him to keep going and he pressed his lips against hers hungrily, harder this time, her lips parted and she felt his tongue glide into her mouth.</p><p>His mouth was warm and sweet as she pushed back with her own tongue, she felt him pull her closer to him until they were locked together. His hands never still, as he traced patterns over her skin, she held onto him tightly as though she might float away, digging her nails into the flesh on his back and revelling in the growl that escaped his lips. A familiar warmth built at her core as she felt his erection against her, she moved her hands between them, never breaking the kiss and caressed his shaft.</p><p>Her hand around his cock stirred the animal in him and he grabbed her thighs and swept her up until her legs were around his waist, he paused and looked her in the eyes.<br/>He rested against her entrance and stopped, he wanted to plunge into her and make her scream his name. He wanted her to claw at his back while she writhed in pleasure on him, but he wanted to know that she truly wanted this. He didn’t want her to sleep with him out of pity.</p><p>  “Loki?” Ingrid asked, sensing his hesitation.</p><p>  “I can’t do this,” he replied, setting her back down in the water.</p><p>  “I want this.”</p><p>  “No, you think you want this, because you feel sorry for me, for what I am.”</p><p>  “What?! No! That’s not true,” Ingrid protested.</p><p>  “Before tonight you would have rather punched me than kissed me, now you find out what I am and you’re all over me.”</p><p>  “Excuse me? I was all over you? I’m going back to the ship,” Ingrid huffed.</p><p>  “You can’t go back on your own, you’ll get lost.”</p><p>  “I’ll figure it out, now turn around.” Loki did as he was asked and turned so Ingrid could get out and retrieve her clothes. Once she was dressed, she stomped off through the undergrowth without looking at him.</p><p>  “INGRID, WAIT,” Loki shouted after her, but she didn’t stop.</p><p>  “Shit!” he exclaimed. Loki figured he’d give her fifteen-minutes to lose her way and he’d go and rescue her, she wouldn’t get far without him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Jealous</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ingrid broke into a run once she was free of the thicket. She wasn’t certain she was going the right way, but she ran anyway until she ran into something solid.</p><p>  “Ooof,” she heard as she toppled on top of the man she’d collided with.</p><p>  “Whoa there sweetheart, you gotta watch where you’re going,” said a voice as she struggled off him. The man got to his feet and brushed himself off.</p><p>  “I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” Ingrid said, glad for the darkness because she knew she was blushing.</p><p>  “What’s got you so spooked out here?”</p><p>  “Oh, nothing. I was just running.”</p><p>  “Well, I gotta say, there're better places and times to do it.”</p><p>  “I’m sorry, again.” -Ingrid shifted on the spot- “do you know the way back to the marketplace? That’s where my ship is.”</p><p>  “I sure do, I’m there too, landed about an hour ago. I figured I’d stretch my legs a bit until they opened the market again.” The man said as he lunged on the spot to demonstrate.</p><p>  “I’m Peter Quill, people call me Star Lord... I mean you don’t have to call me that, you can just call me Peter,” he said, extending a hand towards her.</p><p>Ingrid laughed and shook his hand, “I’m Ingrid.”</p><p>  “Come on, I’ll walk you back,” Peter offered.</p><p>Ingrid wouldn’t normally just walk off with a man she’d never met, but she was still mad about Loki being an idiot.</p><p>  “So where are you from Ingrid?” Peter asked.</p><p>  “I’m from Asgard, although I’m originally from Earth.”</p><p>  “No way, I’m from Earth too!! I got picked up in 1988, when did you get taken?”</p><p>  “Er, the 10th century, I tried to kill a God, and he took me with him to Asgard.”</p><p>  “Wow”-he gave a long low whistle- “cool.”</p><p>They reached the clearing with the marketplace and the landing pads, quite a few Ustralans were about, working on various pieces of machinery. Some of them bowed as Ingrid walked past. She gave an awkward giggle at Peter’s confused expression.</p><p>  “So Ingrid, can I show you my ship?” Peter offered with a smile.</p><p>  “Yeah, sure, show me around.”</p><hr/><p>Loki decided he’d waited long enough and hopped out of the water.</p><p>
  <em>Stupid girl, she’s probably lost in the forest.</em>
</p><p>He didn’t know why she’d got so angry, he could have just had his way with her without caring.</p><p><em>She should thank me for caring enough, she would have regretted it</em>.</p><p>He felt sheepish as he dressed in the dark.</p><p>
  <em>You showed yourself to her, why?</em>
</p><p>Two days ago he’d been hell-bent on taking what was his. Nothing could have stopped him.</p><p>
  <em>She stopped you.</em>
</p><p>Loki thought the whole thing was strange, he’d spent months plotting. Two days with her and he’d gone soft.</p><p>
  <em>You should never have taken her, you let her get under your skin. You like her...</em>
</p><p>Even if he did harbour any feelings for her, Loki reasoned that hers didn’t go beyond pity. Maybe when they were younger, things had been different then.</p><p>
  <em>You wanted to make her yours, remember? She was yours, sort of. Teaching her to fight, giving her those daggers as a gift.</em>
</p><p>After thirty-minutes of searching for Ingrid and wrestling with his thoughts, Loki started to worry.</p><p>
  <em>Maybe she made it back to the ship after all. She’s not as hopeless as you imagine she is.</em>
</p><p>He picked up his pace and headed back to his ship, he knew she couldn’t go without him. It pleased him to think of her waiting impatiently for him, she was stuck without his help.</p><p>She wasn’t on the ship, “Ingrid?” he shouted as he checked her room, the flight deck, the cargo hold. Nothing.</p><p>He ran out into the marketplace again, it was still night but a few Ustralans we’re hanging around, working on machinery here and there. He asked them if they’d seen the woman he was with.</p><p>  “Vasht novo, frelim vashin,” one of them answered, pointing at another ship docked at another small clearing.</p><p>Loki felt uneasy, he didn’t recognise the ship. Why would she just go off with someone like that? There were lights on inside, the cargo bay doors were open and the sound of laughter and conversation drifted out. Loki walked up to the ship and stood at the entrance to the cargo bay, he watched as Ingrid giggled at the man she was with. Heat prickled in his spine and he clenched a fist, he cleared his throat.</p><p>  “Oh hey man, this is a private party,” the man grinned.</p><p>  “Loki! Where have you been?” Ingrid exclaimed.</p><p>  “This is Loki? sorry man”- he extended a hand towards Loki- “I’m Peter.”</p><p>Loki ignored the offer of a handshake and spoke directly to Ingrid, “Where have <em>I</em> been?”</p><p>  “Oh, sorry. I ran into Peter on my way back, he’s from Midgard too! Isn’t that great?”</p><p>Loki didn’t reply, he fixed his gaze on Peter.</p><p>Ingrid continued, “He says he can take me home, to Midgard that is.”</p><p>  “He’s not taking you anywhere.”</p><p>  “Yes, he is.”</p><p>  “Ingrid go back to the ship.”</p><p>  “Look man, I didn’t mean to intrude-“ Peter started.</p><p>  “And yet you have, you bring her here, get her drunk. Why? So you can have your way with her?” Loki cut in.</p><p>  “Loki! What the fuck?!” Ingrid tried to push him, he didn’t move.</p><p>  “No! That’s not what I intended, we were just talking,” Peter argued.</p><p>  “Loki that’s enough, I’ll go back to the ship, just leave him,” Ingrid pleaded.</p><p>Loki responded by grabbing Peter by the throat and lifting him into the air. Peter’s fingers clawed at his hand as Loki applied pressure.</p><p>  “Loki get off him,” Ingrid screamed as she pulled at his arm.</p><p>Loki felt the urge to crush Peter’s windpipe in his hand, he wanted to lose control, it would bring him so much relief. Instead, he released his grip on Peter’s neck and placed his hands on Peter’s face.</p><p>He closed his eyes and searched Peter’s mind for the memory he needed, his memory of meeting Ingrid. He found what he wanted, he saw Ingrid through Peter’s eyes before the memory vanished, then he released the man’s face and walked towards Ingrid, there were tears on her face.</p><p>  “What did you do to him?” she sniffed.</p><p>  “I made him forget you,” Loki replied, taking Ingrid’s arm.</p><p>  “Why?”</p><p>  “Because I’m a monster,” Loki pushed her in the direction of their own ship, ignoring the quiet sobs from Ingrid.</p><hr/><p>Ingrid ripped her arm from Loki’s grip and spun around to face him.</p><p>  “You’re right, you are a monster. I thought the old Loki was still in there somewhere.”</p><p>  “He died, Ingrid, along with any ties I had left to Asgard. Get used to it.”</p><p>  “Why couldn’t you just let him take me, I’d have been gone, out of your hair.”</p><p>  “Because, I’m going to take you back, my way. Do you really think I’m going to let you keep all your memories? Where I’ve been, what I’ve been doing.”</p><p>  “You’re going to make me forget? You’re fucking cruel Loki.”</p><p>She stormed off to her quarters, away from Loki, away from everything that was happening. She sat on her bed and hugged her knees.</p><p>
  <em>Why can’t he just let me leave?</em>
</p><p>She touched her forehead to her knees and sobbed until her eyes were dry. She felt the ship come to life and rumble around her as Loki piloted the ship off the planet. She wondered what was happening on Asgard, surely Heimdall had informed Odin of her disappearance by now.</p><p>
  <em>If you hadn’t been such a brat, maybe listened to the people around you. You wouldn’t be stuck here.</em>
</p><p>Ingrid thought of her actions in the forest, why had she done that. She would have slept with him if he hadn’t stopped it, why had he stopped it.</p><p>
  <em>This is such a fucked up situation.</em>
</p><p>She could admit to being attracted to him, they had been so much closer before Thor was banished from Asgard. After Loki had taken the throne, he changed, like he had finally succumbed to something inside him. Was it wrong to still like him? Despite everything he’d put her through.</p><p>
  <em>No, he didn’t go through with it. He came back for you.</em>
</p><p>Ingrid still didn’t know exactly what had happened to him since his ‘death’. Whatever was going on, he wasn’t a lost cause just yet. If he took her back to Asgard, that little piece inside of him that was holding back would lose the fight, she knew it.</p><p>Her stomach growled in protest at its emptiness but she didn’t really want to leave her room. Another loud rumble changed her mind, she’d grab food and come straight back.<br/>Her door stuttered open, the hallway was empty. She had to walk past the cockpit to get to the kitchen, peeking in as she crept forward. Loki wasn’t there.</p><p>
  <em>Shit, I hope you’re in your room.</em>
</p><p>Reaching the wonderfully grey kitchen, she opened storage containers, her heart sinking a little with each one she found empty.</p><p>  “Looking for food?” Loki said from the doorway he was lurking in.</p><p>  “Fuck”- Ingrid jumped -“Don’t do that Loki.”</p><p>He didn’t reply to her, he picked up a metal container near his feet and threw it onto the table in front of her.</p><p>  “Is it edible?”</p><p>  “I grabbed supplies from the Ustralans” Loki told her.</p><p>Ingrid grabbed a few items and started to head back to her room.</p><p>  “You’re not eating here?” Loki asked as she turned to walk away.</p><p>  “Do you want me to eat here?”</p><p>  “I don’t care.”</p><p>  “Then I’ll eat in my room.”</p><p>She was glad that he didn’t try and stop her, not that she would have let him. He could stay there and sulk by himself, he’d created this mess and his solution was to take her memories, it made her feel sick. She picked at the food in front of her, her hunger had vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Deciding she’d rather not let him make her feel like she had to hide away, she opened her door to find him stood outside.</p><p>  “By the Norns! Why are you always lurking?” Ingrid said.</p><p>Loki grabbed her arms and pinned them by her side, he pushed her back into the room and before she could stop him, his lips came crashing down onto hers. He kissed her so hard and forcefully, she thought her lips might bruise.</p><p>She freed her lips from his, “What are you doing?!”</p><p>He pushed her backwards until her legs hit her bed, “I thought you wanted this Ingrid.”</p><p>He brought his head in to kiss her again and this time she brought her head forward, connecting with his nose. She wrenched her arms from his grip and swung her foot up towards his crotch. Loki dropped to his knees, pain etched on his expression.</p><p>  “What is your problem Loki?”</p><p>  “This is what you wanted isn’t it?” Loki replied, his voice was cracked.</p><p>  “Not like this, you can’t just come in here and do that.”</p><p>  “I don’t know what’s happening, I feel you even when you’re not around me.”</p><p>  “You’re scaring me a little right now,” Ingrid told him and it was true.</p><p>She couldn’t figure him out, ever since he’d taken her from Earth she’d felt that something was wrong with him. Getting brief glimpses of the old Loki before he was swallowed again by whatever was devouring him inside.</p><p>  “I should go, keep an eye on the ship. Will you come and sit with me?” He asked her.</p><p>  “I don’t think I should.”</p><p>  “Please, Ingrid.”</p><p>She knew she shouldn’t but she did. He looked in pain and not just from the kick she delivered to his balls. She sat in the co-pilot seat, she felt him glance at her occasionally but she kept her eyes forward, focused on the black of space until her eyelids twitched.</p><p>  “We’re about to do a few jumps,” Loki told her. Ingrid just gave a nod in agreement, not looking at him, but she felt him stare at her for longer than usual.</p><p>She felt like she was being stretched in all directions as they jumped. Catching her breath, she saw the planet that they were approaching.</p><p>  “Alfheim,” Loki offered without being asked.</p><p>  “The Light Elves,” Ingrid replied with a flutter of excitement.</p><p>She’d never been to Alfheim before but she’d read stories of the Light Elves. They were said to be incredibly beautiful and adept at magic, she realised she was smiling and forced her lips to drop.</p><p>  “We won’t be here for long. I need to stay undetected so I can come back to my ship and leave.”</p><p>Ingrid just nodded again, her heart sank but she wouldn’t show him. Loki landed the ship with little effort and once they’d packed some of the food they left the ship and started their journey.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. The Journey</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Loki hadn't said how long the journey would take and she didn't ask, she didn't mind because Alfheim was a beautiful realm. Everything felt so light and peaceful, all the trees and plants seemed to emanate a soothing light. There didn't seem to be anything in this realm that wasn't perfect, the smells, the sounds. She'd never felt more at peace than she did right now, brushing her fingers over the tips of some long grass that felt like silk on her palm, she felt all of the tension she'd acquired in the past couple of days, dissipate.</p><p>Ingrid followed Loki at a distance and she stopped frequently to admire things, she vowed to visit the library back on Asgard and look up all the things she had seen. A white bird with bright ice blue eyes and long trailing plumage watched her from a branch as she admired a purple flower with petals that swayed in the breeze. It hopped closer, tilting its head as it watched her. Ingrid held her hand out and it pecked playfully at her fingers before it flew off to a higher perch. She gave a loud contented sigh, before carrying on to where Loki stood waiting for here.</p><p>Despite warning her that they weren't here to look around, Loki didn't scold her for dragging her feet, he just stopped when she did, kicking at the dirt with his feet or pretending to inspect a tree. At this point, she was doing it deliberately to see how far she could push him before he lost his temper, but he'd been remarkably withdrawn since he'd attempted to force himself on her.</p><p>
  <em>Good, he probably feels guilty for the first time in his life.</em>
</p><p>The trouble was, she was finding it difficult to hate him entirely, so the more she pushed him, the more guilty she felt too.</p><p><em>Talk to him</em>.</p><p>
  <em>No!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Just do it, talk to him.</em>
</p><p>  "Hey Loki," Ingrid called out to him. Loki whirled around on the spot at the sound of her voice. His lips were pursed and his brow was wrinkled.</p><p>  "Tell me about this place," she said with a half-smile.</p><p>He gave a slightly surprised expression at her request and then inhaled sharply through his nose.</p><p>  "Alfheim, I came here a few times in my younger years." He started.</p><p>  "Yes, I remember. I hadn't been on Asgard very long and Frigga sent you away to study Elven magic." Ingrid interrupted.</p><p>  "Yes, their magic is different, it comes from nature. Frigga shared her magic with me so I had something of my own, she sent me here to learn to respect the gift she gave me."</p><p>  "And did you?..."</p><p>  "Heh, well, I try to."</p><p>  "When you're not creating general mischief with it," Ingrid added, pointing to her head.</p><p>  "I will never admit that that particular prank was anything but funny."</p><p>Ingrid scowled at his words.</p><p>  "However"- he continued -"I apologise for any suffering I may have caused."</p><p>  "It's very unlike you to apologise like that."</p><p>  "Well, I'm very unlike myself these days."</p><p>Ingrid kept up the conversation as they walked, they talked about Alfheim and the Elves. Loki even looked surprised when she said she'd never met an Elf, he'd told her that she should come here under different circumstances one day.</p><p>Deciding that he'd perked up considerably, she decided to bring up home, "You could always come back with me. There's no one there who wouldn't welcome you back, Frigga would be so happy-"</p><p>  "I told you, Ingrid, I don't care about Asgard or anyone there that pretended to care about me," Loki interrupted.</p><p>  "And what about me? I certainly wasn't pretending to care about you."</p><p>  "Which is precisely why you'll be returned to Asgard unharmed. So stop, stop trying to make me go back into the shadow of Asgard."</p><p>Ingrid stood open-mouthed, trawling through a multitude of responses for the right one.</p><p>  "Keep moving, the passage is close," he continued, giving her no chance to keep arguing with him.</p><p>He was stood outside a crevice in a large outcrop, above them, the exposed roots of huge trees trailed down. Long thin branches, weighed down by silvery leaves, were partially obscuring the entrance that Loki was motioning to. She followed him into a tight passageway, the sound of dripping water echoed throughout. It was colder in here, a faint light source illuminated the water that ran down the walls, making it seem that threads of silver weaved their way through the rock.</p><p>She felt fingertips brush her own, it felt like electricity crackling on her skin, making her hairs stand on end around her neck. She drew back her hand.</p><p>  "The ground is uneven," Loki mumbled, reaching out his hand again. Ingrid took it hesitantly, feeling something stir inside her as his fingers interlaced with hers. Her breath hitched.</p><p>  "Is something the matter?" Loki asked her.</p><p>  "You really did what they say you did, didn't you? You let the Frost Giants into Asgard."</p><p>Loki stopped but didn't turn around, "I did."</p><p>  "You put Asgard at risk, you let Thor attack Jotunheim in retaliation, I don't understand."</p><p>  "Don't bother trying, I did what I did, I don't regret it."</p><p>  "Of course, it's just like you to not care about the people who get caught in the crossfire."</p><p>Loki whipped round as fast as he possibly could in the tight passageway and glared at her, his green eyes shining even in the low light.</p><p>  "I do care!”</p><p>  "Yeah? Then name one person you care about more than your own selfish ambitions."</p><p>  "You"- Loki grabbed her by the shoulders -"you stupid girl, I care about you... I love you."</p><p>  "What?! No, you don't," Ingrid said with a smile of disbelief.</p><p>  "Yes, I do."</p><p>  "Since when?" Ingrid asked with a dubious tone.</p><p>  "Since always... I think, I don't know."</p><p>  "You sound confident"- Ingrid scoffed -"Loki if this is some trick to make everything ok again, it isn't going to work."</p><p>  "For once, I'm not tricking you. Think about it, why did I take you? Why did I go back for you? Why am I risking being discovered to take you home? I've had time to think on the way here, this is the only thing that makes sense."</p><p>  "You're being serious aren't you?" Ingrid asked.</p><p>  "I wouldn't lie about something like that."</p><p>  "I don't know Loki, this isn't something you just decide after a quick stroll."</p><p>  "Ingrid, look at me"- he tilted her head upwards-"Remember how close we were? The nights I spent training you to fight with daggers, the days we spent just laying about in the meadows. All the times I snuck into your room to show you the magic I'd learned."</p><p>Ingrid felt her eyes sting with tears, "Then come back with me."</p><p>  "I wasn't going to tell you, because of this. You'll try and make me come home and I won't be able to resist."</p><p>  "Good."</p><p>  "I can't be there, I need to find my own way... I need more than what Asgard can offer me."</p><p>Ingrid's tears overflowed and spilled down her cheeks. Loki cupped her face in his hands and he brought his lips to hers, he kissed her deeply and tangled his fingers in her hair. He broke the kiss and told her he was sorry before switching places with her in the narrow passage.</p><p>  "Loki what are you doing?"</p><p>He turned her to face away from him and placed his hands on the sides of her head.</p><p>  "Loki! Please don't! I won't tell anyone anything."</p><p>He searched her mind for the memories he needed. Ingrid clawed at his hands, fighting to get out from his grip on her.</p><p>  "I don't want to forget! Please don't make me forget!"</p><p>He found what he was looking for and one by one, everything from the past two days was erased. Ingrid had stopped fighting, she'd stopped crying, stopped begging him. He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, "keep moving forward," then concealed himself and watched as she stumbled forward in the dark, watching as the last tie he had to Asgard walked away from him.</p><hr/><p>Ingrid felt as if she'd been dreaming.</p><p>
  <em>Maybe you're dreaming right now.</em>
</p><p>She didn't know where she was or why she was there, she kept putting one foot in front of the other.</p><p>
  <em>What the hell is going on?</em>
</p><p>She dabbed at her face, feeling the tears on her cheeks. Her lips felt warm and tingly.</p><p>
  <em>You were in your apartment, on Earth.</em>
</p><p>Her mind felt fragmented and in disarray, like waking from a long sleep and not knowing what day or time it was.</p><p>
  <em>You went to the nightclub, in New York.</em>
</p><p>The more she came around, the stranger she felt. A wave of nausea overpowered her and she held out a hand to steady herself against the wall.<br/>The air rushed around her, pulling at her. Her ears ached as a high pitched ring filled them. The world swayed around her and she fell forward into a bright light. Dropping to her knees, she felt grass on her palms. Opening her eyes, she was greeted by the sight of Asgard below her.</p><p>Her stomach lurched and she vomited onto the grass and rocks. Beads of sweat formed on her skin as she got to her feet and stumbled towards the city, scrambling down the rocks until she reached flat ground. Seeing a small pool of water, she ran over and dropped to her knees, cupping big handfuls of water and splashing her face. She caught sight of her reflection on the surface and then looked down at her clothes, wondering where they'd come from. This was all too much, she remembered running off to Midgard, she went out and came back to her apartment, now she was back on Asgard with no memory of how she got here. How had she got in the cave and why was she there.</p><p>  "Ingrid!”</p><p>She looked up from the water, Thor was running towards her.</p><p>  "Ingrid! What happened?" Thor asked her.</p><p>  "Thor? Am I dreaming?" She asked him before her legs collapsed beneath her and she passed out. Thor caught her effortlessly in his arms, swinging her legs up to cradle her, before making his way to the palace.</p><hr/><p>Ingrid pulled back the string on the bow until she felt it brush her cheek.</p><p>  "Now steady your breathing," came the deep voice from behind her.</p><p>  "I am steady," she replied as she rolled her eyes.</p><p>  "I'm just trying to help. Aim at the target on the tree then hold your breath and let the arrow fly."</p><p>Ingrid focused on the makeshift target Thor had placed on the tree for her, she felt the breeze blow from her left and she shifted her aim slightly. She took a slow breath in and held it before releasing her grip on the string. The arrow curved around the tree and landed somewhere in the meadow in the distance.</p><p>  "What the..." Ingrid stood open-mouthed. She turned around to Thor who seemed just as nonplussed as she did.</p><p>Her bewilderment was answered by uncontrollable laughter coming from the tree.</p><p>  "Loki! You idiot," Ingrid shouted.</p><p>A flash of green revealed Loki sat on a branch looking extremely pleased with himself.</p><p>  "I have no idea what you're talking about my dear Ingrid, perhaps your aim needs more work."</p><p>He dropped down from the branch and landed in front of Ingrid.</p><p>  "You're gonna help me find the arrow right?"</p><p>  "If I must."</p><p>  "You must."</p><p>  "I'll leave you two to it, I promised Volstagg that we'd go hunting," Thor chimed in.</p><p>He took off in the direction of the palace, leaving an angry Ingrid with an amused Loki. Ingrid grabbed Loki by the arm and pulled him in the direction of the arrow.</p><p>  "Brunhilda is going to kill me if I don't find this arrow," Ingrid whined.</p><p>  "Relax, it's just one arrow."</p><p>  "If it were anyone else, yeah. But she's always so hard on me like she's looking for any excuse to kick me out of training." Ingrid trailed her hands through the long grass absentmindedly.</p><p>  "Maybe she does it to help you?"</p><p>  "Well if that's what she's doing then it doesn't feel like it."</p><p>Ingrid flopped to the ground in frustration before pulling at Loki's leg so he fell to the ground next to her.</p><p>  "Arrrggghhh,"</p><p>  "What!?" Ingrid sat up as Loki shouted out.</p><p>  "I found your arrow," he replied as he reached under his leg to retrieve it. Ingrid laughed, enjoying it when Loki was on the receiving end of misfortune.</p><p>  "Do you think I'll do it?" She asked Loki.</p><p>  "Do what?"</p><p>  "Become a shieldmaiden."</p><p>  "Of course, maybe I could help?"</p><p>  "How?"</p><p>  "Meet me tonight, the field outside the stables."</p><p>Ingrid arched an eyebrow at him.</p><p>  "Just do it"- he got to his feet -"come on, I'll walk you back."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Interlude</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Loki piloted his ship off Alfheim, staring at the empty chair to his left as though Ingrid might appear there.</p><p>It was done, she would have no memory of him being alive or the past two days. She could go back to her life on Asgard and be happy, Thor would take care of her.</p><p>
  <em>And now where will you go?</em>
</p><p>He didn't know, his plan had failed. He wanted to raise an army, yet he had no way of funding one. No plan, no back up plan.</p><p>
  <em>You've talked your way through worse situations.</em>
</p><p>Now he just needed to find someone to use his silver tongue on.</p><p><em>Go and find The Mad Titan</em>.</p><p>This was a risky plan, he'd heard whispers of a being called Thanos. Thanos had ambition, a plan and legions of followers. He was also powerful and unforgiving.</p><p>
  <em>If he decides he doesn't like what you have to offer then he could end you right there. </em>
</p><p>He was left with little choice, a Mad Titan with the means to give him everything he wanted or a life of always being second best. He wanted to rule, he wanted a multitude of devoted subjects... he wanted his time in the sun.</p><p>He thought of Ingrid one last time, smiling in the meadow. Then he locked up that memory and hid it away from himself, before he set off on a journey that he knew would change his fortunes one way or another. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Awake</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ingrid opened her eyes to her dimly lit room in the palace, a shaft of light entered the room through a narrow gap in her drapes. The golden stream of sunlight lent a warm glow to her chambers and she rubbed at her eyes with her hands. Her body felt weak beneath her blankets, weighed down by silk sheets as though she were made of paper.</p><p>
  <em>So you weren't dreaming about being back here.</em>
</p><p>Thor was slumped in a chair by her bedside, snores that sounded more like growls exited his parted lips. He looked tired and dishevelled, his brow furrowed even as he slept. </p><p>  "Thor?" she said quietly, jabbing him in his shoulder with a weak arm.</p><p>  "Leave me be, foul beast," Thor mumbled, half raising a hand as he swatted away an invisible foe.</p><p>Ingrid snorted as she stifled a laugh before poking him in the ribs, "Thor! Wake up."</p><p>Thor sat upright in the chair and rubbed his eyes, with a stretch and a yawn as he came to life.</p><p>  "Ingrid! You're awake!"</p><p>  "I hope I am."</p><p>  "What happened to you?"</p><p>  "I was hoping you could tell me..." she replied with a shrug.</p><p>  "You left Asgard and went to Midgard."</p><p>  "Yes that much I know, I was in New York, in my apartment."</p><p>  "Well Heimdall was watching you, my father was furious," Ingrid winced with the last part.</p><p>Thor continued, "Then you vanished, Heimdall couldn't see you for two days, then yesterday you showed up again in the mountains."</p><p>  "That's it?"</p><p>  "Yes, we hoped you could fill in what had happened."</p><p>Ingrid wrung her hands, "well that's just it, I've no idea how I got back here Thor, it's blank."</p><p>  "This is very strange indeed," Thor got up from his chair and paced back and forth at the side of her bed.</p><p>  "I can't even explain the clothes I was wearing, they aren't mine."</p><p>Ingrid absentmindedly rubbed at her stomach, she felt the ragged scar on her abdomen, something flashed in her mind but it disappeared when she tried to lock onto it.</p><p>  "Thor? What's this scar? This was never here before."</p><p>  "I wish I knew, I have no answers for you, Ingrid."</p><p>  "Is Odin still angry with me?"</p><p>  "No. No of course not, he was furious at first but when you disappeared he was just worried. Now he's just glad you're safe."</p><p>  "And Heimdall? I let him down."</p><p>  "He's not angry either Ingrid, he's relieved. He spent the whole time searching for you."</p><p>A ball of guilt bounced around her insides, she felt sick. She needed to go and see Heimdall, wrap her arms around him and apologise profusely for worrying him.</p><p>Swinging her legs out of bed, she wobbled a little as she tried to stand up. Thor placed his arms around her to steady her before pulling her into a tight hug.</p><p>  "You have no idea how worried we all were, don't do anything like that again."</p><p>  "I won't, I promise. I thought I needed to get away from here and I was wrong," her words muffled as she was squashed up against his bicep. </p><p>  "Oh no," she burst into tears.</p><p>  "What's wrong?" </p><p>  "I used... the bracelet you gave me... to buy my way onto a trader ship," she said through snotty tears.</p><p>  "Is that all?"</p><p>Ingrid nodded and wiped her face on the sleeve of her bedclothes, "I'm going to go and see Heimdall."</p><p>  "I can come with you if you need me to?"</p><p>  "It's ok, I'll come straight back to the palace and speak to Odin when I'm done."</p><p>  "Be careful Ingrid," Thor kissed the top of her head and left her to get dressed.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Dress, dress, dress... why do I have so many dresses?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Hiding amongst the numerous, flowing dresses, Ingrid spied the outfit she'd been wearing when Thor found her. The sight of it stirred something in her, but she couldn't understand why. There was no memory of it, but she felt like there should be, trying to find it was like opening a door that had a wall behind it. No matter how many times she opened that door, it was blocked off. Perhaps Frigga could help her figure out what was missing. After she'd summoned up enough courage to apologise to Odin in person.</p><p>She decided against wearing the mystery outfit and hunted down leather pants and a blue tunic instead, with a large leather belt that held her daggers. It was doubtful that she'd need them but having them close by gave her a sense of security.</p><hr/><p>Out on the streets, everyone looked at her like she had grown a second head. There'd probably be rumours as to why she'd run away, she was already the outsider 'the girl from Midgard'. People already thought she'd had everything handed to her, especially the other shield maidens. They didn't realise she'd had to work twice as hard to get where she was, she was thankful that she'd had Thor and Loki as she grew up.</p><p>She stopped in the street with her hand on her abdomen as it rolled unexpectedly. </p><p>
  <em>What was that? Right as you thought of Loki.</em>
</p><p>Brushing it off, she approached Heimdall's house. He divided his time between here and the palace since the Bifrost was destroyed, a glow in the windows told her that he was home.</p><p>Giving a polite knock, she rocked on her feet in nervous anticipation, unsure of whether she should prepare herself for stern words or not. The door clicked open...</p><p>Heimdall stood in the doorway with a soft smile and Ingrid flung herself at him, burying her face in his chest. He smelled warm, like wood and spice and she revelled in it for a moment.</p><p>  "My child, did you think I did not see you coming?" he said with a laugh.</p><p>  "I'm so sorry Heimdall, I really am. You must have been angry with me."</p><p>  "All is well, now you have returned," he brushed her hair from her face.</p><p>Ingrid told Heimdall everything she knew, although she suspected he knew everything about her journey and her very brief time in New York.</p><p>  "Very perplexing indeed and you have no memory at all?"</p><p>  "No nothing, but I feel like something is there, a space where something once was."</p><p>  "I wish I would help you further my child, but I was blind to your whereabouts."</p><p>  "I'm going to go and see Frigga after I apologise to Odin."</p><p>  "Shall I wish you luck?"</p><p>  "Just be here for me later, I need my stories," she winked at Heimdall who nodded in return. </p><p>  "Be safe my daughter."</p><p>Ingrid smiled warmly in agreement before giving a final wave to her adoptive father and heading to the palace. She hated to leave him so soon but this was a day of apologies and explanations.</p><hr/><p>  "Ingrid Heimdallsdottir," Odin began sternly, "You absconded from Asgard, despite my direct instruction that you were to remain here while the Bifrost was rebuilt."</p><p>  "I'm sorry Allfather-"</p><p>  "Do not attempt to placate me with your apologies, these were the actions of a thoughtless child who cares not of the consequences."</p><p>Ingrid prickled at being called a child, she did not attempt to speak up again, there was a heat in her that made her uncomfortable. She saw Thor shift nervously where he stood, his eyes darting between Odin and herself.</p><p>  "However, it occurs to me that you took drastic action because you felt as though you were drowning in your grief," Odin flicked his eyes towards Frigga, leading Ingrid to believe that it didn't actual occur to Odin and that Frigga was the driving force behind the Allfather's sudden understanding.</p><p>  "I do not wish to see you before me again under these circumstances, you are still to attend training with Brunhilda under the watchful eye of Thor."</p><p>Ingrid groaned inwardly and fought to keep herself from rolling her eyes, Odin was being more than generous.</p><p>  "Be gone now."</p><p>Ingrid jumped up and thanked Odin before running over to Thor, "That could have been much worse."</p><p>  "Indeed, you are lucky he has my mother to calm him down," Thor agreed.</p><p>  "Speaking of your mother, I'm going to go and see if she can help me, I'll see you later?"</p><p>  "Yes you will, you are to come riding with me and Sif later, it will do you good."</p><p>  "Fine, if I must... just don't make it a competition, that woman doesn't like to lose."</p><p>  "Agreed."</p><hr/><p>Frigga was kind and approachable, just what Ingrid needed right now. She agreed to help her immediately, taking Ingrid to her chambers so they could talk uninterrupted.</p><p>  "We should go and see Eir," Frigga said once Ingrid had finished explaining everything.</p><p>  "Do you think she can help me?"</p><p>  "I don't know, this is all very strange, the sensations you describe... It's like you didn't just forget, more like someone took the memories from you."</p><p>  "That would explain why I feel like there's a hole, my mind remembers there being something there."</p><p>  "Let's go and see Eir, don't worry, I'll; have you back in time to go riding," Frigga said with a comforting smile.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Eir hadn't been much help at all and right now Ingrid had grown tired of telling the same story and answering the same questions. She felt hopeless, she'd just have to resign herself to the fact that two days had gone missing from her life, with nothing but an outfit as a lead.</p><p>Frigga was being as wonderful as usual, fussing over her so much that she almost felt guilty. She didn't deserve for her to be so forgiving, yet it was like Frigga could see her pain and was trying to soothe it as best she could.</p><p>  "You know Odin loves you like a daughter, as do I," she'd told her.</p><p>Ingrid felt something swell inside her, so many people loved her and supported her, a touch of guilt hit her for thinking that running away had been the answer.</p><p>  "Frigga, thank you. I better not keep Thor waiting."</p><p>She gave the Queen a brief hug and ran off to the stables, secretly hoping that Thor had forgotten about the riding and she could go and hide in her bed instead. No such luck, Thor had been waiting for her, leaning casually against the stable doors. His eyes were closed as he basked in the sunlight, Ingrid admitted to herself that it did feel good to be outside in the sun and the breeze blew her worries away.</p><p>  "At last, I was about to leave without you," the God of Thunder said, throwing her a saddle and tack with such force that she almost fell over.</p><p>  "Where's Sif?"</p><p>  "She couldn't make it, something about a sparring match and a large wager," Thor told her. Ingrid eyed him suspiciously, suspecting that he'd never even invited Sif.</p><p>Thor went straight for his steed, a tall, muscular, tan and blonde beast. His horse nodded it's head excitedly as Thor entered the stall and Thor placed a calming hand on its cheek.</p><p>She'd never had her own horse, lacking a passion for riding. Loki had tried many times to get her to come out with them and she had, occasionally. A lump in her throat formed and she hastily wiped at the corner of her eyes.</p><p>  "I think I'm going to ride Loki's horse," she announced.</p><p>Thor popped his head over the stall gate, "are you sure?" he mumbled through the reins he was holding in his teeth, he took them out and continued speaking.</p><p>  "Loki's horse is temperamental, he rarely allows others near him."</p><p>  "There's no one to ride him since Loki-" she didn't finish the sentence.</p><p>  "If you're sure, shout me if you require my assistance."</p><p>Ingrid nodded and went to the stall with Loki's horse in, "Hello Magni."</p><p>The large, all-black horse drew back from her in its stall at first, she stopped briefly.</p><p>  "It's ok Magni, I'm Loki's friend... You know me,' she held out a hand and let Magni come to her. The horse nudged her hand and nickered as he understood. Her hand stroked his soft coat in reassurance.</p><p>  "Good boy, now I'm just going to put this saddle on you, don't kick me ok?" she spoke calmly.</p><p>Magni didn't put up a fight, he was ready to ride in no time. Ingrid led him out of the stall right past an opened mouthed Thor. </p><p>  "I don't know how you did that, he usually tries to kick anyone that comes near him," Thor said in disbelief. </p><p>Magni was strong and she struggled against him at first, he desired to take off as he pleased. With a little effort, she had him under control and followed after Thor. They followed a trail that took them near the hidden stronghold, pausing to let their horses drink. Ingrid stared wistfully at the flowing stream as Magni satiated his thirst.</p><p>  "You seem at ease on Magni, or more accurately, he seems at ease with you," Thor said, bringing her back to the real world.</p><p>  "He feels good to ride, I'll admit it."</p><p>  "Is this about Loki?" Thor asked.</p><p>  "What?... It's not just that, I felt drawn to his horse."</p><p>  "You had a connection with him that the rest of us didn't," Thor admitted.</p><p>  "You're his brother Thor, he loved you," Thor looked away from her.</p><p>  "As I did him, he certainly favoured your company though," he smirked.</p><p>  "Is this why you brought me riding?" she asked him.</p><p>  "Not specifically but if it makes you feel better then we can talk about him."</p><p>Ingrid sighed and twirled her finger in Magni's black mane, "It just feels like no one else talks about him, he died and you all just brushed it under the rug."</p><p>  "You feel as if we don't care?"</p><p>  "I know that you all care, but I feel like there's something that you're not telling me Thor, something painful."</p><p>Ravens cawed in the trees and took flight, startling Ingrid and Magni.</p><p>  "It was just unexpected Ingrid and we're trying to carry on as best we can, for the sake of Asgard."</p><p>  "I'm sorry Thor, I guess I don't have that same burden."</p><p>  "Do not apologise, you have done no wrong..."</p><p>They rode in silence for a while, the daylight just on the cusp of fading before Thor decided he wished to race her back to the stables, Magni was swift and powerful, he carried her with little effort and they beat Thor with ease. The mighty God of Thunder did his best to appear as though he was pleased, but he also hated to lose and Ingrid knew it.</p><p>  "I won't be long," she told him as he was leaving, Thor touched her shoulder in acknowledgement. She picked up the saddle and tack, wishing they'd put themselves away... when they vanished in her hands.</p><p>Her heart skipped a beat and she stood open-mouthed, staring at her empty hands, turning them over and over. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>What the fuck!!</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Flashback</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><strong>Tønsberg 975AD</strong> </p><p>  </p><p>The people in the tranquil Norwegian village of Tønsberg were going about their evening business. Some were finishing up in their fields for the day, women were fixing clothing by the orange glow of a fire, children ran around with their toy bows. None of them noticed the soft flare of light that illuminated the dusk, none except for a small girl. Huddled in a rickety lean-to set apart from the rest of the village, the layer of grime on her face belied how pale she was, her hair matted and filthy, long blonde strands adhered together with blood and mud. </p><p>She pressed her face up against a gap in the wood of her shelter. The cold wind bit at her exposed flesh. Drawing a blanket tighter around her thin frame, she picked at some dried fish that she’d stolen from the village. The people mostly disregarded her. This meant she could slip about unnoticed as she scavenged food. A few generous souls had shown her mercy, giving her scraps of food and clothes, but never anything more.  </p><p>She packed her fish and wrapped an extra blanket around herself, exited her rundown shelter and sat by a crooked pile of rocks on the floor. Touching a hand to one of the stones, she whispered so no one save herself and the gods could hear her, “I will change my destiny mother.” </p><p>The skies were normal again, but she travelled towards the flash she had seen. The ground was hard and her feet, bound in cloth, throbbed and prickled, the cold moved up her legs but she kept going, on and on, upwards towards the top of a low, jagged ridge in the terrain.  </p><p>Hearing voices, she stooped low and positioned herself behind a rock large enough to conceal her presence.  </p><p>The girl peered from her hiding place behind the rock. An old man with long greying hair and a full beard was followed by two young boys. One with hair like gold and another with locks as black as a raven, the golden-haired boy leapt around as if battling an unseen adversary, the raven-haired boy walked silently by the man’s side, dancing his hands around a strange green glow. </p><p> </p><hr/><p>  “Loki, cease your spells while we’re here, the people of Midgard do not have such magic here,” Odin said. </p><p>  “But father, mother says I must practice.” </p><p>Thor rushed at his brother, throwing him to the ground, “do as father commands Loki.” </p><p>  “Thor! That’s enough, We are close to the Village of Tønsberg,” Odin hoisted both Thor and Loki off the ground. </p><p>  “Where you vanquished the Frost Giants and sent them back to Jotunheim?” Loki asked. </p><p>  “Correct, we overcame Laufey and defended the people of Midgard, the other realms look to us as peacekeepers.” </p><p>  “My sons, it is necessary that you learn respect for all the races that dwell within the nine realms. I hope this visit will teach you both something.”                       </p><hr/><p>The young girl shifted her position as they moved past below her, keeping herself hidden against the rock in the dusk light. Her heart hammered wildly in her breast and her breaths came quick and ragged. The strangers spoke in her language but she could scarcely hear them, making out only a few words. A sickening fear rose in her, crawling its way up her spine with cold, penetrating claws.  </p><p>Knowing she had to stop these imposters, she waited until they had walked far enough and then ran as fast as her legs could move. The girl almost destroyed her shelter as she flew through the opening, not stopping to catch her breath.  </p><p>She rummaged through a box of tattered belongings until she found what she needed, an old leather chest piece and her mother’s knife. She unwrapped the musty cloth until she saw the blade, still in perfect condition. The smooth, carved bone handle had yellowed a little, but the blade was perfect.  </p><p>The leather armour was still far too big for her. She wrapped it as tightly around her as she could. Her plan was simple, kill the invaders and the entire village would thank her. She would get a family and they would ignore her no longer, they would stop treating her like a scavenging rat. </p><p>She wrapped her tattered blanket back around herself, clutching the knife in her bony fingers and concealing it beneath the cloth. No one would pay her any attention until the time was right, then they would see her as she wanted them to see her. </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The girl slipped in and out of people in the market. Darkness had fallen but there were still many people bustling about. The smell of meat cooking over a fire made her stomach growl viciously, she could hear the hiss as the fat dripped onto the flames, and her mouth watered.  </p><p>The man and boys were just ahead of her, sat around a fire, listening to the Skald tell his tales. This was her chance to change her fate and make the people of the village respect her. </p><p>  “These people are not who they say they are,” she shouted as she strode towards the people sat around the fire. </p><p>The older bearded man shifted in his seat as the two boys stopped their chattering. Everyone stared at her. Laughter erupted in the circle. </p><p>  “Foolish child, go back to your hut,”- he Skald turned to the man and the boys – “My apologies, now where was I?” he continued. </p><p>  “I will prove it,” the girl interrupted. </p><p>  “Girl! Go home,” the Skald shouted.  </p><p>The laughter had stopped and people began whispering. The girl felt her anger take hold, her cheeks burned and her heart galloped. She threw off her blanket and brandished her blade, staring the older man down. </p><p>  “The boy, the dark-haired one, I saw him... his hands, they glowed with a strange green light. And... and they arrived here in a flash in the sky.” The laughter started again as the girl flicked her eyes wildly around the people sitting around. Their mouths flapping about amusement, spilling their ale as their bodies shook. </p><p>Her head was spinning, she couldn’t hear them anymore, only the ringing in her ears as she tumbled into her rage. Raising the knife far above her head, she charged at the old man with a loud yell. </p><p>A flash of green stunned the circle into silence. The girl lay on the floor, knife still in her hand. </p><hr/><p>  “Loki!” Odin shouted. </p><p>It was too late, Loki released a blast of energy at the charging girl, knocking her unconscious. The villagers sat open-mouthed. </p><p>  “She was trying to attack you, Father,” Loki argued. </p><p>  “She would not have succeeded.” </p><p>  “Who is this girl,” Odin asked the Skald. </p><p>  “She... she’s no one, a beggar girl that lives at the edge of the village. Her mother died, she would have died soon too,” the Skald said. </p><p>  “Where is the girl’s father?” Odin said </p><p>  “She has no father.” </p><p>The Skald was looking nervous, Odin had risen from his seat and had approached the girl on the floor. </p><p>  “She has no family here?” </p><p>  “Her father was not present for her birth, he did not name her... She has no rights in this village. Her mother chose a life of poverty and disease to raise her instead of giving her back to the Gods,” the Skald explained. He eyed Loki nervously as he spoke. </p><p>  “You think the Gods would want this? A child, abandoned and left to die?” Odin asked the Skald. </p><p>Odin picked up the girl off the floor and cradled her tightly against him, “there is still life in her, I will take her.” </p><p>  “Who are you? Your boy wields magic, are you Gods?” the Skald asked with fear on his face. </p><p>Odin didn’t reply, calling out for Heimdall to open the Bifrost. Behind him, Loki retrieved the girl’s knife from where it lay and ran to his father’s side. Light rained down on the three, eliciting a mass of gasps from the villagers that witnessed the sight. </p><hr/><p>Back on Asgard, Heimdall welcomed back Odin, Thor and Loki. </p><p>  “So much for a quiet trip to Midgard,” Heimdall said as he raised his eyebrows at Odin. </p><p>  “I couldn’t leave her behind,” Odin replied. </p><p>  “Thor, Loki, run on ahead and tell your mother to fetch Eir,” Odin told his sons. </p><p>They raced off as Odin carried the frail girl to the palace, knowing that Frigga and Eir would nurse her back to health. She stirred in his arms and he knew that she would be ok, she was strong and he would make her stronger. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Discoveries</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> <em>What the fuck!!</em> </p><p> </p><p>Staring blankly at her hands with no idea what to do, Ingrid panicked. She had been holding the tack and then it had vanished; she was sure she wasn’t imagining it. She thought about shouting for Thor, but she knew he wasn’t the right person to help. Securing the stables she ran to Frigga, she would know what was going on. </p><hr/><p>  “My child, whatever is going on?” Frigga said, jumping up from her seat as Ingrid flew through the door and slammed it shut. </p><p>  “I’m so sorry to barge in like this, but something very weird just happened and I don’t know what to do, and I was just holding the horse tack and then I don’t know where it went, I think I’m going crazy,” Ingrid blurted out. </p><p>  “Ingrid, slow down. Sit down and start at the beginning.” </p><p>Ingrid recounted the story, as slowly as she could despite her rapid breaths. </p><p>  “It disappeared?” Frigga asked when Ingrid had finished speaking.</p><p>  “Yes! Just gone, right out of my hands.” </p><p>  “Give me your hands,” Frigga instructed, and Ingrid held her hands out. </p><p>Frigga closed her eyes and hummed to herself as her palms touched Ingrid’s. </p><p>  “Ingrid!” </p><p>  “What?! What is it?” </p><p>  “How long have you possessed magic?” </p><p>  “Huh? I... I don’t... “</p><p>  “There’s magic in you, Ingrid, I don’t know how I didn’t feel it earlier, but it’s there.” </p><p>Ingrid reeled, slumping in one of Frigga’s large armchairs, “Frigga, I don’t understand what’s going on.” </p><p>  “Did Loki ever share his magic with you?” </p><p>  “No, never... he used it <em>on</em> me,” Ingrid rolled her eyes. </p><p>  “Ingrid, I think you accidentally put the tack in a pocket dimension. Magic can be shared as I shared mine with Loki, though it takes quite a bit of practice to control it effectively.” </p><p>  “So, what do I do now?” </p><p>  “You practise, we can’t have you running around with uncontrolled magic.” </p><p>Ingrid gave a long sigh, “This is a lot to take in.” </p><p>  “We’ll take it slow, best not to tell Thor or Odin. But first, let’s get those reins out of the dimension you hid them in.” </p><p>  “Now?” </p><p>Frigga nodded slowly, and Ingrid furrowed her brow nervously. This wasn’t what she was expecting to find out. Let alone having to fix it right away.  </p><p>  “Let's start with the basics... Magic is a force that runs through every living thing. That’s not to say that all can control it, but it’s there. Asgard is brimming with magical energy, it should help you focus more easily.” </p><p>Ingrid tried focusing on what Frigga was saying, but all she could think about was where the magic had come from. She couldn’t remember ever having dabbled even a little, Loki had always shown her every new trick he’d ever learned. She, on the other hand, had never shown an interest in learning. If she was honest, she thought she was incapable, not to mention already having a lot on her plate with training. </p><p>  “So come on then, draw energy from Asgard and reach into the dimension, then simply pull your items out,” Frigga continued. </p><p>  “I’m sorry, what?”  </p><p>  “I know this is a lot to take in, but you have to focus. Clear your mind, feel the energy that runs through and draw it into yourself, you should be able to perceive the dimensions, reach in and retrieve your item.” </p><p>It took her a few attempts before she could feel it, faint but definitely there, like tiny vibrations in her body. She likened it to the sensation one gets when a limb had fallen asleep and the feeling is coming back.  </p><p><em>Don’t think of anything, nothing at all. Empty your mind... Loki...</em> </p><p>A green glow enveloped her hands and she jumped back in her seat. </p><p>  “What did you just do to make that happen,” Frigga asked. </p><p>  “I thought of Loki, only for a second, I was trying to think of nothing, and then I saw him.” </p><p>  “Oh, well, try that again,” Frigga instructed. </p><p>Ingrid filled her mind with as memories of Loki as she could. His smile, his laughter, the lines on his brow as he studied in the library. She cried as she thought of him. Looking down through her tears, she saw the light in her hands. </p><p>  “Good, Ingrid. Now find the tack,” Frigga urged. </p><p>Ingrid could perceive the pocket dimensions that Frigga had spoken about. She could see the tack, and she reached with her mind. The tack reappeared in her hands as if it had never disappeared. </p><p>  “It must have been hard to think of him like that,” Frigga said as she reached out a hand to Ingrid. </p><p>  “I’d put it off for long enough, I can’t keep running from the truth, he’s dead and I need to accept that.” </p><p>  “My dear girl, you’ve carried around that pain for long enough,” Frigga stood and gestured for Ingrid to hug her.  </p><p>The two women held onto each other, silently comforting one another. Ingrid needed this, to stop holding on to her grief. The door to Frigga’s study swung open and the two women jumped back. </p><p>  “Mother, have you seen-“ Thor said as he stormed into the room. </p><p>  “Ingrid? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt... Erm, why are you holding reins?” Thor asked, looking bemused. </p><p>  “Thor, you really should knock before entering. Ingrid needed my help with something,” Frigga chimed in. </p><p>  “I will see you tomorrow evening,” she said to Ingrid.</p><p>Ingrid nodded and left the room. She was smiling properly for the first time in months. She may never figure out why she was missing two days of her life, but she had something else to tie her to Asgard now.  </p><p><em>No more running.</em> </p><hr/><p> </p><p><strong>                                                                                                       Six months later</strong>  </p><p>Ingrid had finished her duties for the day and was making her way to the throne room to find Frigga. She had progressed slowly but steadily with Frigga’s magic lessons; she could use the pocket dimensions without thinking, and she was getting better at illusions and conjuring. </p><p>Frigga had told her she should be proud of herself, that most magic users learn from a young age. Despite this, Ingrid still felt clumsy with her magic. As she approached the throne, she saw Thor talking with Odin in hushed tones. They both stopped when she got closer. </p><p>  “I was looking for Frigga,” she said as she noticed the two men exchange awkward glances. </p><p>  “What’s going on?” she asked. </p><p>Odin stayed silent, straight-faced. Thor looked at Ingrid and then back at Odin. </p><p>  “She has a right to know, father.” </p><p>Odin nodded and spoke to Ingrid, “I’m sending Thor to Midgard, he is needed there immediately.” </p><p>  “Oh? Is there something wrong?” </p><p>  “Ingrid,” Thor took her hands, “someone has obtained the Tesseract from where it was hidden on Midgard.” </p><p>  “Ok...” </p><p>  “It’s Loki...” </p><p>  “Ha! No, it can’t be. He-he-he died, he’s dead, Thor. We mourned him.” </p><p>  “I’m sorry, Ingrid. Heimdall saw him.” </p><p>  “Then I’m coming with you.” </p><p>  “I can’t allow that. Thor will go to Midgard, apprehend Loki and bring him back here,” Odin interjected. </p><p>  “This is insane, it can’t be him. You expect me to sit around and wait for Thor to get back,” Ingrid almost shouted at Odin.  </p><p>  “Stop! Do you think you are the only one in this room who feels lost? Thor will find out what is going on.” </p><p>  “I’m sorry, Allfather.” </p><p>  “Thor, go to Heimdall, he will send you to Midgard. Ingrid, you are to remain here, tell no one of this.” Ingrid and Thor both uttered their agreement in unison as Odin left the room. </p><p>  “Ingrid, I’m sorry... I don’t know what to think about any of this. I swear to you that I will figure this out,” Thor embraced Ingrid in his enormous arms and kissed the top of her head.  </p><p>  “Go and find Gunnar, take your mind off this. I’ll be back soon,” Thor let his arms drop from around Ingrid and left her standing alone in the throne room. </p><p>How anyone could expect her to sit around and wait, she didn’t know. She abandoned her search for Frigga and ran to her room instead. Hopefully, Gunnar wouldn’t be there, she didn’t want to see him right now. </p><p><em>How are you going to look at him?</em> </p><hr/><p><em>  “</em>Hey, I thought you were going to see Frigga,” Ingrid’s stomach flipped uncomfortably when she heard his voice. He’d been waiting for her.</p><p>  “Change of plan,” she said, wincing as he kissed her cheek. </p><p>  “Is something wrong?” he asked her. </p><p>  “No... no. I’m fine, just tired.” </p><p>She wanted to scream at him, to tell him everything. That she had been practising magic, that Loki could be alive, that Thor had been sent to Midgard, and she was lost and didn’t know what to do. But she couldn’t tell Gunnar these things, nor did she want to. </p><p>Six months ago, she’d made a vow to herself to stop wallowing in her sorrow. She threw herself back into her training, even impressing Brunhilda. Gunnar started hanging around her like a lost puppy. Apparently, their drunken night had meant more to him than it had to herself. </p><p>After weeks of asking her to come on a day out with him, she relented, not expecting to enjoy herself as much as she did. Gunnar was sweet, and she enjoyed their time together, but she wasn't sure she loved him as he loved her.</p><p>She changed her clothes as Gunnar droned on in the background. It was all mindless gossip. It made her headache and she itched to get out of her room. </p><p>  “Gunnar, I think I’m going to see Heimdall, ok?” </p><p>  “Do you want me to come with you?” he replied, ceasing his rambling. </p><p>  “Oh, no. I’ll be fine. We can go riding later if you like? I know Magni would like some exercise.” </p><p>  “Yeah... sure,” Gunnar replied and Ingrid could feel his disappointment.  </p><p>She tried not to feel too bad about ditching him, she needed to find out what was happening on Midgard and she knew she could sweet-talk Heimdall into telling her, she just hoped it wouldn’t be what she didn’t want to hear. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Projection</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The wind </span>
  <span>whipped her loose strands of her hair across her face as she ran, </span>
  <span>Thor was </span>
  <span>wrong if he thought that she would sit around her chambers with Gunnar</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>Did he</span>
  <span> really think that she could carry on like she </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> just found out that Loki was alive</span>
  <span>?</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Heimdall!” Ingrid shouted as she neared the broken Bifrost.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Daughter, if you are here for Thor, then you are too late.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>That’s not what I want.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I know, I was just hoping my sight was wrong for once. You know I can’t do what you </span>
  <span>want me to do.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Then at least tell me what </span>
  <span>you see, I need to know.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ingrid, this won’t help you</span>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Just tell me, please.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Heimdall</span>
  <span> looked out across the rippling water, “Thor is with him now, he’s in great anguish. Something weighs heavily on him, though I cannot see what.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I need to reach him,” Ingrid cried.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Daughter, he’s killed people</span>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid fell to the floor</span>
  <span>, shook by heavy sobs, “How am I supposed to </span>
  <span>sit here and do nothing?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I wish I could offer you more comfort, it pains me to see you like this. I cannot disobey Odin, not even for you.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid stopped listening</span>
  <span>, she took off, pushing her trembling limbs to carry her faster</span>
  <span>, ignoring </span>
  <span>Heimdall’s</span>
  <span> shouts behind her. She</span>
  
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> stop until she reached the palace, shouting for Frigga.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “She’s in her chambers my lady</span>
  <span>,” a passing </span>
  <span>chambermaid</span>
  <span> shouted after her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid turned at the end of the corridor and </span>
  <span>banged on Frigga’s door</span>
  <span> until it was opened.</span>
  <span> A horrified Frigga stood in the doorway</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>holding a hand to her mouth in shock at seeing Ingrid in such a state.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Whatever is wrong?</span>
  <span> Is this about Loki?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid nodded and wiped her eyes </span>
  <span>with her sleeve, “</span>
  <span>I can't just do nothing, Frigga. </span>
  <span>I need to do something.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’m afraid there's not a lot we </span>
  <em>
    <span>can</span>
  </em>
  <span> do</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’m sorry Frigga, I’m being selfish. I didn’t ask how you’re </span>
  <span>feeling.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’m overjoyed that my son is alive, </span>
  <span>but he's gone too far this time. I fear we may have lost him.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I saw him Ingrid,</span>
  
  <span>he pushed me away. </span>
  <span>This is why</span>
  <span> it must </span>
  <span>be Thor</span>
  <span>,” Frigga continued.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Maybe I could try</span>
  <span>?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You haven’t attempted projection yet</span>
  <span>, Ingrid.</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Well,</span>
  <span> we’re not doing anything else right now, and it beats sitting around and fretting.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Are you sure?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Absolutely, I need this. We both need this.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Frigga’s looked </span>
  <span>apprehensive but</span>
  <span> agreed anyway. Ingrid knew she needed to take her mind off this as much as she did herself, and if it </span>
  <span>provided</span>
  <span> a way to reach Loki, that would be a bonus.</span>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>After six</span>
  <span> straight hours of </span>
  <span>practice, Ingrid was fatigued and had managed to project herself </span>
  <span>into the corridor outside, a passing guard had walked right past her, which meant no one could see or hear her yet. </span>
  <span>She rubbed at her eyes and stretched</span>
  <span> on the bed, giving Frigga </span>
  <span>an apologetic</span>
  <span> smile</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Don’t be too hard on yourself. This takes </span>
  <span>vast amounts</span>
  <span> of energy and you’ve progressed so fast in such a short space of time.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>I’m worried that by the time I </span>
  <span>get good enough, it’ll be too late.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Now, you know we’re not supposed to be letting ourselves get like that. Come, we’ll </span>
  <span>get</span>
  <span> something to eat, my appetite is back,” Frigga said, tugging at Ingrid’s hand.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Go on ahead, I’ll meet you in the kitchen,” Ingrid said as she made her way back to her room. </span>
  <span>She had</span>
  <span> completely forgotten about Gunnar. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It was dark outside now and gentle light lit the hallways of the palace, she preferred the muted colours that came with the night, the gold </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> seem so </span>
  <span>brash</span>
  <span> in the softer light. Loki had always loved the </span>
  <span>night, when</span>
  <span> he could sit undisturbed in the library. She would often sit with him and he would make her promise to be quiet, but she always ended up reading over his shoulder and asking countless questions. She smiled at the bittersweet memory. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Her room was </span>
  <span>dark when she entered, Gunnar must have left. </span>
  <span>She jumped when she turned on the lights, Gunnar was sat in </span>
  <span>a </span>
  <span>chair by her window.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Where were you?” he asked.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Gunnar, you’re still here? I’m so sorry that I forgot about riding</span>
  <span> with you.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Where... Were... You...</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid </span>
  <span>wasn't</span>
  <span> sure how to answer, </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>didn't</span>
  <span> know about everything and he </span>
  <span>didn't</span>
  <span> need to.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I was with </span>
  <span>Frigga;</span>
  <span> you know I’ve been studying Vanir history. She got a bit carried away with the stories,” she lied.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “And that was more important than </span>
  <span>coming back to me?”</span>
  
  <span>he rose from his seat and approached her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “No, I just forgot. I went to see Heimdall and he reminded me that I needed to see Frigga. I should have </span>
  <span>seen</span>
  <span> you first, I’m sorry.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I don’t like you spending time with that woman, </span>
  <span>she's as bad as that dead son of hers.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Gunnar! </span>
  <span>What is wrong with you?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Oh,</span>
  <span> that’s right, you were close to </span>
  <span>him,</span>
  <span> weren't you? That lying, manipulative snake, Asgard is well rid of him.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid </span>
  <span>couldn’t</span>
  <span> believe what she was hearing, this </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> the same Gunnar who had taken her out on the lake and brought her flowers. This </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> the same man who greeted her with a sweet smile whenever he saw her. His words were </span>
  <span>jarring,</span>
  <span> and his features were distorted by indignation.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “What are you saying? Where has all this come from</span>
  <span>?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>I don't like being pushed aside,” he raised his hand and struck her across the face with the back of his hand.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> expecting it and her face whipped to the left, she stared him down, nostrils </span>
  <span>flaring</span>
  <span>. Kicking him square in the chest, he toppled backwards into the chair he had been sitting in, it splintered beneath him. Walking away, she wiped a drop of blood from her lip, ignoring his cries for forgiveness behind her.</span>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>When she got to the kitchens, Frigga had already raided </span>
  <span>cupboards</span>
  <span> and</span>
  <span> arranged the food on </span>
  <span>a platter.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I was beginning to worry, </span>
  <span>I grabbed a few things”- she paused</span>
  <span>, spying the cut on Ingrid’s lip- “Whatever happened to you? Are you ok?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Yeah,</span>
  <span> I handled it, don’t worry.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Did Gunnar hit you?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “He did, but... </span>
  <span>he won't do it again.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>No,</span>
  <span> he won't, because I'll have him locked in a cell.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “It’s ok, Frigga</span>
  <span>, really. </span>
  <span>Come on, </span>
  <span>let's</span>
  <span> eat, I need the energy.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Frigga </span>
  <span>didn't</span>
  <span> look pleased with her reluctance to </span>
  <span>act</span>
  <span> against Gunnar, but Ingrid </span>
  <span>wasn't</span>
  <span> too concerned. The two women ate in silence until each of them were </span>
  <span>satiated</span>
  <span>, Frigga’s occasional worried glances </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> distract her from the task at hand.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Shall we do this?” Ingrid asked.</span>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The light had begun to appear at the horizon when Ingrid leapt up from the floor</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>swiping strands of hair from across her face, </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> startling Frigga who had dozed off with her head in her hand.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I did it! I was on Midgard, I spoke to </span>
  <span>someone,</span>
  <span> but I </span>
  <span>don’t</span>
  <span> think they saw me, they just looked right through me. They definitely heard me though!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Let us</span>
  <span> hope that’s enough to reach Loki, do you think you can do it again? You'll need to find him first,” Frigga struggled to contain herself at the thought of another way to reach Loki.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “We need </span>
  <span>Heimdall</span>
  <span>,” Ingrid </span>
  <span>said.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>When </span>
  <span>Heimdall</span>
  
  <span>arrived, the two women talked over each other trying to explain</span>
  <span> their plan.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “One at a time!... please,” raising his </span>
  <span>voice enough to shut them both up.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’ve been learning </span>
  <span>magic,</span>
  <span> I don’t know how it came to </span>
  <span>be,</span>
  <span> but Frigga has been helping me for the last six months.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Did you think </span>
  <span>I was blind to it, daughter. I’m </span>
  <span>disappointed that you felt that you could not come to me with it, I am Vanir as is Frigga, I could have helped you too.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I asked that she tell no one, </span>
  <span>Heimdall</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>I’m sorry,” Frigga cut in.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Do not be sorry my Queen, I was merely expressing some fatherly </span>
  <span>behaviour, tell me what it is you need of me.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “We need you to locate Loki so that Ingrid can project herself to him</span>
  <span>. Maybe she can reach him.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I fear he may be too far gone, as we speak, he wages war on New York</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>He is not himself, that much is clear, he seems beyond reach.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Thor and Odin won’t see it that way, </span>
  <span>if we can get him to stop this, Odin may show some mercy,” Frigga </span>
  <span>said, her voice cracked with pain for her son.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I will help </span>
  <span>you;</span>
  <span> he is with his brother at the Stark Tower.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I know where that is!</span>
  <span>” Ingrid said, laying herself on the floor.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Be careful</span>
  <span>, daughter.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid closed her eyes and slowed her breathing, her heart rate followed suit and she </span>
  <span>felt herself sink into the floor</span>
  <span>, i</span>
  <span>t was like falling onto </span>
  <span>a pile of feather pillows</span>
  <span>. Then</span>
  <span> the weightlessness took over</span>
  <span> and she was pulled from her body. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She thought about Earth, about New York</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>Space moved around her, </span>
  <span>planets and stars flew by </span>
  <span>as blurs, </span>
  <span>a deep whooshing </span>
  <span>sounded in her ears. </span>
  <span>Black became sky blue as buildings rushed towards her</span>
  <span>, she saw the Stark Tower</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>a race of aliens she had never </span>
  <span>encountered</span>
  <span> before were flying past the tower.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Everywhere was a disaster, sirens and screaming, shattered glass and rubble. This was Loki’s doing? She saw him, at the top, fighting with Thor. Unable to hear them above the </span>
  <span>chaos</span>
  <span> at first, she got closer.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
  <span>Thor had Loki pinned </span>
  <span>against a wall with his hammer, “Look at this</span>
  <span>!</span>
  <span> Look around you!</span>
  <span> Do you think this madness will end with your rule?”</span>
  
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “It's too late. It's too late to stop it</span>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “No</span>
  <span>, we can... together</span>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span> Ingrid held her breath, in hope that Thor’s words hit home. She saw the dagger in Loki’s </span>
  <span>hand,</span>
  <span> and she screamed out. Loki drove the dagger into Thor’s side.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Sentiment,” he said as a single tear fell from his eye.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid lost her grip on </span>
  <span>her projection </span>
  <span>and was sent hurtling back to her body, opening her eyes to the concerned faces of Frigga and </span>
  <span>Heimdall</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “It’s too late,” she said as she burst into tears.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Frigga rushed to hold her</span>
  <span>, “It is in Thor’s hands now.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I will await the return of Thor, he will prevail and bring Loki back to Asgard,” </span>
  <span>Heimdall</span>
  <span> said as he left the women</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Frigga, I will </span>
  <span>go</span>
  <span> too, I want to be there when </span>
  <span>they get here.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “If you’re sure,</span>
  <span>” Frigga said as she brushed the hair from Ingrid’s </span>
  <span>wet cheeks.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I need to talk to </span>
  <span>Heimdall</span>
  <span>, I’ll keep him company.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She felt guilty leaving Frigga, but </span>
  <span>Heimdall</span>
  <span> seemed upset with her and she had to fix it.</span>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. The Fallen Prince</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ingrid stood silently by the side of Heimdall. He was staring out into the </span>
  <span>distance,</span>
  <span> but Ingrid knew he was watching the battle in New York, waiting for the moment Thor succeeded in subduing Loki and retrieving the Tesseract. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I came to talk to you,” Ingrid </span>
  <span>said as she shifted herself closer to </span>
  <span>Heimdall</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “There was no need, I am not upset.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ok, well you can pretend that you're not pissed at me. You could see what I was doing with Frigga and you were waiting for me to come to you... and I didn't.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Frigga instructed you to </span>
  <span>keep it a secret, presumably to protect you</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I didn’t mean for you to feel left out, </span>
  <span>you've been so supportive of me</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>This last year has been </span>
  <span>crazy</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
  <span>I want to go back to normal.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Daughter?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Yes?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Do you think that Loki had something to do with your disappearance?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Not until you just mentioned it... and it raises so many more questions.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Perhaps he</span>
  <span> will answer them for you... Thor has succeeded, Loki will be brought back here as a criminal. </span>
  <span>Go, tell Frigga.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>But</span>
  <span> I want to be here.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You will be, as part of the escort guards, suit up.”</span>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The air was buzzing with </span>
  <span>the hushed tones of people discussing the current turn of events</span>
  <span>. Ingrid adjusted her helmet as she stood with the rest of the Einherjar, her mouth felt dry and her palms were slick with sweat, two of the guards held chains and shackles.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “They are coming,” </span>
  <span>Heimdall</span>
  <span> announced. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone got into position and a blue flash illuminated the sky, Ingrid covered her eyes. The air around her was whipped up and when she lowered her arm, Thor stood there, one hand on a container holding the tesseract. The other end grasped by Loki, </span>
  <span>muzzled,</span>
  <span> and staring at her, one eyebrow raised.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Why did she think that he </span>
  <span>wouldn’t</span>
  <span> notice her? He looked defeated and strained but his gaze was no less intimidating. She </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> seen him for a year, mourned him and made silent bargains, she would have given anything for another day with him. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>And yet, this </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> how she had planned </span>
  <span>to see</span>
  <span> him again, all the scenarios she had played out in her head, they never went like this. Once Loki was secured in the hands of the Einherjar, Thor flew on ahead to see Odin. As Ingrid walked behind the guards, her eyes bored into the back of Loki’s head.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Why did you do it?</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki stopped abruptly and turned on his heels and looked at her, his head cocked </span>
  <span>curiously</span>
  <span>. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Keep moving,” said one of </span>
  <span>the guards at the front, hitting Loki’s leg with his staff. Loki smiled and turned back around.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What was that all about, </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>he </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>didn't</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> hear me... Did he?</span>
  </em>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The atmosphere in the throne room was tense</span>
  <span> and Loki did not make </span>
  <span>his situation any easier</span>
  <span>, i</span>
  <span>t seemed as though he wished for Odin </span>
  <span>to dispatch him </span>
  <span>once and for all</span>
  <span>. Ingrid knew that Frigga had a hand in Odin’s mercy and Odin confirmed it, but while </span>
  <span>everyone else saw it as leniency, Ingrid knew that the life imprisonment that Odin had decreed, was to Loki, </span>
  <span>a fate worse than death. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Seeing his indifference to the mess he had created, stung. But then, when had he ever felt remorse for his actions, if he </span>
  <span>couldn’t</span>
  <span> see why he should be sorry, then he </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> sorry. It was so simple in his </span>
  <span>eyes;</span>
  <span> he was marching to the beat of his own drum and you either marched with him or you </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki was led away</span>
  <span> to begin his sentence</span>
  <span>, he glanced at her as he was </span>
  <span>led down to the dungeons</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>making her </span>
  <span>shudder</span>
  <span>. She had questions for him, but </span>
  <span>she had someone to see first.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>  “Gunnar,” she said as she entered her chambers. He was knelt on the floor, fixing the chair </span>
  <span>she had</span>
  <span> kicked him into.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ingrid! </span>
  <span>I am</span>
  <span> so sorry, please forgive me... I thought you weren't coming back.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>I really shouldn't have</span>
  <span> and I'm not sure I can forgive you.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “No, you’re right. I </span>
  <span>don't</span>
  <span> deserve your </span>
  <span>forgiveness;</span>
  <span> I should not have hit you and I should not have said what I did. It took a long time to get you smiling again and I was afraid that you were slipping back.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Gunnar, I don't</span>
  <span>- “</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Riding! </span>
  <span>Let's</span>
  <span> go riding like you said,” Gunnar cut her off, </span>
  <span>wringing</span>
  <span> his hands nervously as though he knew what she was going to say.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid sighed and agreed, reasoning with herself that </span>
  <span>he had</span>
  <span> never done anything like that before and now he knew that she would not be pushed around. She had enjoyed his company up until that point and it was better than sitting around and thinking of what she was going to say to Loki.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “To the stables then?” he asked, looking like a puppy waiting for </span>
  <span>its</span>
  
  <span>master</span>
  <span> to pet it.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid nodded, hoping that the ride would clear her head and keep Gunnar happy. He was </span>
  <span>trying</span>
  <span> to earn her forgiveness and she should honour that at the very least.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You're</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> making this worse.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The ride had been uneventful</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>they rode mostly in</span>
  <span> silence punctuated by intermittent comments from Gunnar about the view and how good it felt to get away from the palace.</span>
  
  <span>A tightness in her chest stopped her from </span>
  <span>letting go like she wanted to,</span>
  <span> the day had taken its toll on her</span>
  <span>, her smiles were fake.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>As they had rode back to the stables, Gunnar had fallen uncharacteristically silent. Ingrid felt bad for secretly hoping that </span>
  <span>he had</span>
  <span> come to the realisation that pursuing her was pointless.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ingrid, </span>
  <span>I've been thinking...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh no.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>You make me a very happy man...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh shit.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>I want to prove to you how sorry I am...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>isn't</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> happening.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “We should be joined in marriage.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Told you that you were making it worse.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Gunnar...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Before you answer, just think about the future. </span>
  <span>Few</span>
  <span> men are willing to look past your Midgardian origin...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh wow, he just keeps going.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Gunnar! Stop! I </span>
  <span>don’t</span>
  <span> think </span>
  <span>we are</span>
  <span> on the same page here. I enjoy your company... but I don’t think I love you.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I know that, but love doesn’t always come first</span>
  <span>, it grows. The fruit doesn’t come before the tree.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “What could you possibly hope to gain from a loveless marriage?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Companionship... Look just think about it</span>
  <span>, I’ll give you as long as you want. I know you’ll come to see it my way</span>
  <span>.” </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He planted a kiss on her </span>
  <span>cheek,</span>
  <span> and she tensed up. At least he </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> going to push the matter any further.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Why weren’t you more firm with him? You should have just told him there and then. </span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid knew the truth, she feared being alone and unloved for the rest of her life. Gunnar doted on her, and the things he said the other evening were so out of character that she could believe that </span>
  <span>he would</span>
  <span> never do it again. </span>
  <span>Maybe he</span>
  <span> was right about love growing with time.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She convinced him to leave her be tonight, that she was too tired to do anything but sleep. He seemed disappointed but left her for the night, she wanted her room to herself, even though she knew that all the space in the world </span>
  <span>couldn’t</span>
  <span> ease her mind right now.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It was too late to </span>
  <span>see</span>
  <span> Loki, so she settled on questioning him in the morning. If Heimdall was right and he had played a part in her disappearance, she </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> even know where to go from there. Sleep took her, but it was </span>
  <span>fitful</span>
  <span> and dissatisfying.</span>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>When she opened her eyes to the light streaming in through her window, she pulled her blanket over her head and tried to ignore the responsibilities that had arrived with the day. At least if she focused on Loki, she could push all thoughts of Gunnar to the back of her mind and pretend like that </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> happening.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She shunned breakfast; her guts were twisted to breaking point. As she tied her hair into long braids, her chest felt tight and her lungs ached for air. Sure that her heart had skipped a beat, she held a hand on her breast and ran to the window, holding her head out and letting the gentle breeze soothe her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Get your head straight, because if you don’t, Loki will wreak havoc there.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>In the mirror she lifted her tunic and rubbed at her scar, it had turned a silvery pink in the months following her sudden appearance back on Asgard. If Loki had a hand in her missing memories, then he </span>
  <span>likely knew</span>
  <span> how she got the scar too. Holding onto the thought of getting answers, she left for the dungeons, </span>
  <span>she would</span>
  <span> get her answers one way or another.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>His cell </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> like the others, she could see that </span>
  <span>he had</span>
  <span> already been granted his usual comforts. Beautiful furniture housed large volumes on magic and history. Fruit and wine were set out on a table in the centre, beside them, another book on magic, left open.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The man himself was laid in his bed, eyes closed, fingers interwoven across his chest. She watched his chest rise and fall, wondering if he was sleeping. He looked marginally better than the state </span>
  <span>he had</span>
  <span> arrived back on Asgard in, his face, less </span>
  <span>pallid</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Did you come to stare at the </span>
  <span>fallen prince, Ingrid?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You knew it was me?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Who else would it be? Thor has vowed not to visit. My mother </span>
  <span>does not</span>
  <span> visit in person and a guard would announce themselves. Meaning that the wide-eyed gawping can only be coming from you.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid gave a small huff, she </span>
  <span>had not</span>
  <span> been gawping, “I see you’ve made yourself quite comfortable.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Well,</span>
  <span> I wasn’t going to spend the rest of my days in a cell with nothing to occupy my curious mind,” he said as he sat up to look at her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>I came here to ask you something...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ah, before you do, let me convey my congratulations to you</span>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Congratulations?” Ingrid asked, puzzled.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “For your upcoming </span>
  <span>nuptials</span>
  
  <span>to the dashing young Gunnar,” he said with a sly smile.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid</span>
  <span> flashed red, embarrassed that Gunnar had been talking about her to the other guards.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>What upcoming </span>
  <span>nuptials</span>
  <span>? I haven’t even said I’ll marry him yet!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Oh? But </span>
  <span>he’s</span>
  <span> so confident that he can win you round</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>he’s</span>
  <span> already been telling all the </span>
  <span>guards when he was down here earlier</span>
  <span>, made a real show of it too.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “This is ridiculous, he suggested </span>
  <span>it,</span>
  <span> but I have agreed to nothing. Wait”- Ingrid slammed a hand on one of the corners of the cell- “I see what you’re trying to do, now I have questions and you’re going to answer them.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Ask away...” he replied with a roll of his eyes.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Six months ago, I ran away to Midgard. </span>
  <span>I remember arriving there</span>
  <span>, yet two days later I appeared on Asgard, in the mountains, with no memory of </span>
  <span>how I got there or what had happened to me.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Surely </span>
  <span>Heimdall</span>
  <span> could be of assistance in that matter.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>That’s</span>
  <span> the thing, Heimdall </span>
  <span>could not</span>
  <span> see me, I vanished. I had no explanation for that, until I found out you were still alive. Did you have something to do with it?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “What would you gain from the knowledge, Ingrid?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “My mind wouldn’t feel like it’s missing something anymore, and maybe I’d know how I got this scar,” she </span>
  <span>lifted</span>
  <span> her tunic.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> react, his expression </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> change, not even a twitch of an eyelid. </span>
  <span>Maybe he</span>
  <span> really </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> know </span>
  <span>what happened.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I do know what happened...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You do!? Tell me!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “...and I took your memories</span>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Then give them back.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I cannot, even if I wanted to, I shattered them completely. They’re still in there, but you can’t piece them together.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “And I guess you won’t tell me what happened then either?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’d rather not.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> know why she had hoped that </span>
  <span>he would</span>
  <span> help, her cheeks burned, and she felt stupid for trying.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I hope you rot down here, Loki,” she said walking away.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Wait... before you go. Are you really going to marry him?” he laughed.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid left the dungeons before she cried in front of him, she </span>
  <span>wouldn’t</span>
  <span> give him the satisfaction.</span>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. The threat</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ingrid sat on her bed, tapping her foot anxiously. Her visit with Loki had not gone the way she had hoped, and she scolded herself for thinking otherwise. Even years ago, when they were inseparable, Loki could be stubborn and often cruel. Once he had dug his heels in, it was impossible to change his mind. </p><p>Her stomach jumped as she realised what she had to do, Loki said he had shattered her memories into pieces. He must have used magic to do that, so she could use magic to put them back. It was an ambitious plan, way out of her current level of training, but maybe if she asked Frigga, they could find a way to do it together. </p><p>A hard knock sounded at her door and she groaned, she knew that knock, it was Gunnar. Opening it slightly, she was greeted by Gunnar’s huge grin, grasping flowers in his hand.  </p><p>  “Hi, I just wanted to check on you today, I brought you these,” he said, thrusting his arm through the door. Ingrid could feel him pushing against the door and she released the pressure she was putting against the other side. </p><p>He strolled in and placed the flowers on her table and seated himself on her bed, “have you thought about what I asked?” </p><p>  “That was only last night, I’ve barely had time to think about anything.” </p><p>  “But you had time to visit Loki in his cell,” he replied, his smile dropping. </p><p>  “How did you- I had to, we think he had something to do with my disappearance.” </p><p>  “We?” </p><p>  “Yes, me and Heimdall.” </p><p>  “And no one thought to include me in this?” </p><p>Ingrid paused and blinked; she hadn’t thought to tell Gunnar. In all of this, he had been there for her, even if she didn’t feel for him as strongly as he felt for her.  </p><p>She lied her way out of the snub, “I was still angry with you, going riding was a wonderful way to clear my head, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.” </p><p>  “You’re lying, you two were always up to no good together. I bet you couldn’t wait to welcome the murderous scum back.” </p><p>  “That’s not true. And while we are on the subject of lying, why have you been telling people that our marriage is already a done deal?” </p><p>  “Well, that’s not a lie, you’re a smart girl, I’m confident that you’ll see the benefits that I can offer.” </p><p>  “What? Like choosing not to believe an answer I give you. Or hitting me because you felt pushed aside? I won’t stand for it.” </p><p>  “See, you are a smart girl, smart enough to know that I can make things difficult for your precious Loki, maybe even get him that death sentence he deserves.” </p><p>Ingrid felt like all the air had left the room and there was a ringing in her ears, she fumbled over her words, “Why would I care what happens to him, he’s not the person he was.” </p><p>  “Oh, I think you care a lot. Enough to agree to my proposal anyway.” </p><p>  “You’re forcing me to marry you? What happened to you?” </p><p>Gunnar inhaled deeply and ran a finger over the carved wood at the foot of her bed, “I grew tired of being the nice guy. What did it get me, huh?” he’d gotten so close that she could feel his breath as he spoke. </p><p>She didn’t answer and he gripped her face, “Nothing... It got me nothing, you don’t love me, you will never love me. You pity me, that is all I will ever get from you. While the Trickster, locked in his cell, has you fawning over him.” </p><p>His fingers dug into her cheeks as he kept her eyes on his, his breath was hot on her face and her nostrils flared in anger. She knew she should fight, push him away and beat this nonsense out of him, but his threat had her frozen. He could do it and at this point, she no longer doubted that he would do it. </p><p>  “So, what’s it to be?”  </p><p>Her skin crawled, her chest shuddered with her breaths. Every cell in her body aflame with abhorrence, the hopelessness churned her stomach. </p><p>  “Yes...” she mumbled. </p><p>  “I didn’t quite hear you.” </p><p>  “I said yes!” </p><p>He threw her backwards onto the bed, “Good girl, I knew you had sense... I can be a good husband to you.” </p><p>  “I won’t love you, Gunnar, not ever. I am doing this to save Loki. He may have lost his way, but he’s more than you’ll ever be.” </p><p>  “Finally, some honesty from you. I don’t care for your reasons, you’ll be <em> my </em> wife, I’ll take you in body if I can’t have you any other way.” </p><p>Gunnar walked towards her door, “Oh and don’t think about telling anyone, if you do, I’ll make sure he suffers.” </p><p>Ingrid cradled her head against her knees, she grit her teeth hard. </p><p><em> Where is your fury now? When you need it the most? </em> </p><p>Loki would have found several ways out of a situation like this by now, but she wasn’t quite as smart as he was. For all her determination that she had shown when she tried to reach him in New York, she was lacking now, choosing to succumb to the reality of what was happening over dreaming up ways to get out. If Loki was safe, that was all that mattered to her now. </p><p>She wasn’t sure why she still cared about him so much, the man who openly admitted to destroying her memories and refused to help restore them, the man who killed innocent people in New York and betrayed everyone who loved him. Yet she had seen him at Stark Tower, there was nothing of the old Loki in his face, he looked defeated. Even Heimdall had sensed there was something amiss, but no one could help Loki if he didn’t want them to. So, for now, she would cling to the small chance that there was something of him left, buried beneath his hatred, and she would continue to care about him, if only to fan the flame that she hoped still burned inside him. </p><hr/><p>The next day was full of everything that Ingrid had been dreading, as news of her upcoming marriage to Gunnar had spread around Asgard. Thor had come bounding into her room, throwing his tree trunk arms around her and exclaiming, “You kept that quiet.” </p><p>Odin congratulated her, telling her that Heimdall could be spared a day for the festivities. Frigga embraced her warmly but eyed her suspiciously, being the only one that knew what Gunnar had done. Ingrid tried to convey with her eyes, as best she could, that she was ok. This was a lie of course, but she couldn’t stand the thought of Frigga worrying about her. </p><p>Heimdall wouldn’t be able to see what was going on either, he was fully absorbed in the rebuilding of the Bifrost, now the Tesseract had been returned to Asgard, and the rest of his time was taken up watching the other realms. He had taken a step back from her since she had neglected to tell him about learning magic with Frigga, she thought about paying him a visit, to tell him about her problem, but she knew that Gunnar was having her watched. </p><p><em> Play along,  </em> <em> you will </em> <em>  figure this out. </em> </p><p>She retreated from the well-wishers and hid in her chambers, pulling a magic tome from beneath her mattress and idly flicking through the pages until something caught her eye. </p><p><b>Memory manipulation</b> </p><p>Sitting up straight, book in hand, she read the whole chapter. It didn’t tell her how to fix her memories, but it explained how to access a person’s memories and change them. But Loki hadn’t just changed them, he had shattered them, irreparably so, or at least this is what he wanted her to believe. He didn’t know about her magic; he didn’t know she could try. </p><p>She felt a renewed sense of hope now, Loki was safe, she would work on restoring her memories, and then, she would deal with Gunnar. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter 20</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day was full of everything that Ingrid had been dreading, as news of her upcoming marriage to Gunnar had spread around Asgard. Thor had come bounding into her room, throwing his tree trunk arms around her and exclaiming, “You kept that quiet.”<br/>Odin congratulated her, telling her that Heimdall could be spared a day for the festivities. Frigga embraced her warmly but eyed her suspiciously, being the only one that knew what Gunnar had done. Ingrid tried to convey with her eyes, as best she could, that she was ok. This was a lie of course, but she couldn’t stand the thought of Frigga worrying about her.</p><p>Heimdall wouldn’t be able to see what was going on either, he was fully absorbed in the rebuilding of the Bifrost, now the Tesseract had been returned to Asgard, and the rest of his time was taken up watching the other realms. He had taken a step back from her since she had neglected to tell him about learning magic with Frigga, she thought about paying him a visit, to tell him about her problem, but she knew that Gunnar was having her watched.</p><p>
  <em>Play along, you will figure this out.</em>
</p><p>She retreated from the well-wishers and hid in her chambers, pulling a magic tome from beneath her mattress and idly flicking through the pages until something caught her eye.</p><p>
  <strong>Memory manipulation</strong>
</p><p>Sitting up straight, book in hand, she read the whole chapter. It didn’t tell her how to fix her memories, but it explained how to access a person’s memories and change them. But Loki hadn’t just changed them, he had shattered them, irreparably so, or at least this is what he wanted her to believe. He didn’t know about her magic; he didn’t know she could try.</p><p>She felt a renewed sense of hope now, Loki was safe, she would work on restoring her memories, and then, she would deal with Gunnar.</p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <em>Where am I?</em>
</p><p>Ingrid spun around on the spot, it was night-time and she was in a forest. The air was cool but not uncomfortably so, rich foliage and flora accompanied tall trees. A slight breeze wafted a glorious scent her way, she couldn’t quite place it but it reminded her of pine or fir trees.</p><p>
  <em>What is this place? Am I dreaming?</em>
</p><p>The sound of footsteps rustling in the undergrowth broke her thoughts, she had no time to hide. A figure broke through from the trees...</p><p>  “Loki?”</p><p>Loki’s eyes snapped up, “Now why would I be dreaming about you?”</p><p>  “What do you mean?” Ingrid asked, her lips quirked up in a curious half smile.</p><p>His mouth parted slightly and he raised an eyebrow, “I’m not dreaming about you am I? You’re here, aren’t you?”</p><p>  “Are you in my dream?”</p><p>  “No... you’re in mine, or rather, we’re in neither one’s dreams.”</p><p>  "Will you please start making sense!”“</p><p>  "We are both asleep, that much is true, but we’re not really dreaming as such... we’re projections, sharing the same space.”</p><p>Ingrid bit her bottom lip in silent contemplation, now he would know that she had magic. She had hoped to keep it from him a little longer.</p><p>  "Which leads me to ask, since when have you been able to project yourself?” he didn't seem as shocked as she thought he would be. He seemed more amused by it than anything else, like she was a curious oddity that he needed to poke around in.</p><p>  “Since I arrived back on Asgard with memories missing, which tells me that you had something to do with it,” she hit back.</p><p>  “How did you discover it?” he asked.</p><p>  “I had been out riding with Thor, the horse tack... disappeared in my hands. I went to the only person I could think of... Frigga.”</p><p>  “So my dear mother has found another pupil, maybe she’s hoping this one won’t stray so far from the right path,” he gave an awkward smile.</p><p>  “And why did you stray?” she thought she might have caught him off guard, but he was as tight lipped as ever.</p><p>  “It's a fabulous story actually, rather long and I'm not in the mood for stories tonight.”</p><p>Ingrid folded her arms across her chest and gave a long, low whistle, “You’re always going to avoid those conversations aren’t you?... You know what, don’t answer that.”</p><p>  “Where are we? I don’t recognise this place,” she continued.</p><p>  “This place is from my memories,” he answered. If he were lying, Ingrid could not tell.</p><p>  “Let me guess, you can’t tell me where. No surprise there,” she looked past him, she was tired of looking him in the eyes and expecting him to be honest with her.</p><p>  “I am sorry, Ingrid.”</p><p>  “No you’re not, this is you. You love playing these stupid mind games. I’m not sticking around and letting you toy with me, Loki.”</p><p>She turned around and started walking, not even knowing how to leave.</p><p>  “Please stay,” Loki called from behind her.</p><p>Ingrid stayed with her back turned to him, “And do what?”</p><p>  “We’ve got all night here, I can help you with your Magic.”</p><p>  “Will you help me with my memories?” she asked, turning around to face him.</p><p>  “No, but I’ll teach you other things.”</p><p>  “Like what?”</p><p>A glorious smile flashed across his features, “Let me show you.”</p><p>Ingrid hated herself for giving in, she truly did, but even if he was still refusing to help her now, this might have gotten her foot in the door. They spent the whole evening together, he helped her hone her skills with conjuring, and she hated to admit it, but he was a much better teacher than Frigga. His passion for his magic shone through the façade he had so carefully constructed, and he seemed impressed that she was an eager pupil.</p><p>  “I can’t believe you still have that,” he said to her, with a tone of mild shock when he saw her dagger. <br/>Ingrid blushed and hid it away again, she didn’t know what made her do that, she loved her dagger. Her cheeks burned, and she was grateful for the low light that hid the flush on her face.</p><p>
  <em>You don’t want him to know what he truly means to you.</em>
</p><p>  “We should go, it will be morning soon. It's not so bad for me to stay in bed all day, but it's a different matter for you I think,” Loki poked at mound of moss on the floor, his lean fingers clutching the handle of a throwing knife.</p><p>  “Yeah, about that... How do I leave?”</p><p>Loki huffed at her, “Really, Ingrid. You just need to travel back to Asgard.”</p><p>  “Okay, back to Asgard, back to Asgard. Oh, and Loki,” she stood up and jabbed a finger in the air in his direction, “I will fix my memories, with or without your help.”</p><p>She closed her eyes and focused on Asgard, feeling that familiar tug in her stomach as though she was being lifted by a hook there.</p><p>Only when she had gone did Loki reply, “I have no doubt that you will.”</p><hr/><p>When Ingrid awoke it was not yet quite dawn, she was laid on her bed, still fully clothed, the book lay in her open hand. She was surprised to still feel refreshed, despite the time spent in her astral state. She thought about going to see Loki, just to check that it had happened, but if Gunnar found out.</p><p>Her cheeks flushed a little, she had enjoyed her evening, learning magic with Loki the Murderer. She felt so conflicted, she tried so hard to hate him, for everything he had done, but it didn’t come as easy to her as it had to everyone else. One flash of that charming smile, some carefully chosen word, and she would be putty in his hands again.</p><p>  “Oh Ingrid, you fool,” she raised herself up off the bed and entered her wash room and started running a bath.</p><p>She had a bit of free time before the wedding plans got fully underway, Odin had given her four days leave to get everything in order. The dressmaker would come today, to take her measurements and show her fabrics.</p><p>She didn’t want to be measured; she didn’t care about the fabrics; the food; the guests; she had four days to figure a way out of this. Gunnar wouldn’t be around, that was something at least, now she just had to slip about unnoticed, if that were possible. It suddenly hit her, if she could figure out how to change her appearance, what was the point of having magic if she wasn’t going to use it to her advantage.</p><p>Grabbing the book from her bed, she flicked through the pages until she found a page titled 'Glamour and Shape-shifting' her eyes scanned the words before her. She didn’t even know where to start, full Shape-shifting seemed like it required a lot of practice and time that she didn’t have.</p><p>  “Glamour it is then,” she hoped it was as simple as it appeared in the book.</p><p>All she had to do was tap into the natural energy that flowed through Asgard, like the first time she had projected. It wouldn’t take as much energy, in theory, but she wasn’t as accomplished as Loki or Frigga who could access the energy without a second thought.</p><p>Once she felt it rippling through her body, that energy that made her hair prickle and her skin buzz, she focused on her point of reference. She started small, her eyes; a young shield maiden in training called Frida, she had the most beautiful blue eyes.</p><p>Ingrid saw them in her mind, icy blue, piercing, “Just make your eyes that colour,” she said aloud.</p><p>She didn’t feel any change and she opened her own eyes hesitantly, “Ohhh shit, it worked!”</p><p>Beautiful blue irises took the place of her own hazel ones, her heart pounded with excitement at her achievement. Unable to keep looking at herself in the mirror, she admired the change, they stood out against her pale skin. She settled on changing her hair next and leaving it at that, her hair was her most identifiable feature, if she changed that, then no one would recognise her.</p><p>For her hair, she settled on the mid length, brown wavy hair that Sif sported. It wasn’t as easy as her eyes, her first attempt left her with a strange combination of her own hair and Lady Sif's tresses.</p><p>Her second attempt left her with Loki’s black locks, she put this down to not focusing correctly and allowing Loki to seep into her thoughts.</p><p>Finally, she did it, all her other features were her own, but the eye colour and the hair made her look so different in the mirror. No one would think to look for her looking like this, if anyone got too close though, they’d realise. Now she just needed a safe place to sit and find a way to repair her memories.</p><p>  “Heimdall’s house, of course.”</p><p>He was out all day and night at the Bifrost, his diligence in his work meant he would not rest until his task was complete. Now she just had to test her disguise, she chose something nondescript from her wardrobe, marvelling at herself one last time in the mirror before she left.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Loki's Thoughts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A brief chapter with Loki's thoughts after waking up.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Loki awoke in his cell, </span>
  <span>but he didn’t get up, he lay with his eyes closed</span>
  <span>, willing himself to go back to sleep. It didn’t come, his mind was filled</span>
  <span> with a thousand thoughts, a thousand thoughts of Ingrid.</span>
  <span> He knew he should help her</span>
  <span>;</span>
  
  <span>he wasn’t the type to go soft on someone, but </span>
  <span>he couldn’t lie to himself anymore, it hurt him to hurt her.</span>
  <span> He could fix her memories anytime he wanted, but in doing so, she would remember what he did to her, what he said to her, what he truly was.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She already thinks you’re a monster, </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>what is</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> the harm in confirming it?</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>His fists clenched so hard that </span>
  <span>his nails almost broke the skin of his palm,</span>
  <span> she would work </span>
  <span>it out herself, </span>
  <span>eventually</span>
  <span>. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So, </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>come clean, fix her memories</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>,</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> and live with what you did.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Oh</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> by the realms, how he wanted to. To </span>
  <span>relieve the burden onto her, to drop to his knees and</span>
  <span> admit all his wrongdoings. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You think that she would run from you, but she didn’t run last night.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He knew it was pity, she </span>
  <span>stayed because he asked her to, not because she wanted to. She would have carried on walking away if he hadn’t offered her the chance to learn more.</span>
  <span> The magic she had gained from him was going to be his downfall, </span>
  <span>if he had stayed away, left her with Madame </span>
  <span>Tixinn</span>
  <span>, he wouldn’t be stuck in this cell.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And you really think you could live with that choice</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>;</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> you think yourself so evil?</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Evil he was not, </span>
  <span>even now, in his cell, he felt the influence of the sceptre fading. </span>
  <span>He had sought out the Mad Titan and been gifted a madness of his very own, </span>
  <span>a madness that </span>
  <span>only</span>
  <span> himself would understand. Thor, Frigga, Odin... They all thought he was driven by pure selfishness</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> In truth, he just wanted to be equal, the sceptre warped</span>
  <span> his mind</span>
  <span> until he desired </span>
  <span>more</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Now </span>
  <span>he was left with nothing and nobody</span>
  <span>, alone with his thoughts in his cell.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But you're not alone, </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>you’ve got her... If </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>you are</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> willing stop being so </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>pig-headed</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed and </span>
  <span>wearily got out of his bed, </span>
  <span>what would she do when she no longer needed him, when </span>
  <span>he had </span>
  <span>taught her everything and she moved on? </span>
  <span>When she married him, that </span>
  <span>idiotic lump of muscle</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>He had</span>
  <span> come down to the dungeon, loudly proclaiming that he was to be </span>
  <span>wed</span>
  <span> to Ingrid, loud enough to be sure that </span>
  <span>Loki had heard it</span>
  <span>. Loki had rolled his eyes outwardly, but inwardly</span>
  <span> he had visions of taking Gunnar by the throat and watching him squirm.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jealous?</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Was she stupid? </span>
  <span>Had she lost all </span>
  <span>senses? </span>
  <span>He made up his mind to go to her tonight, </span>
  <span>to </span>
  <span>talk to her. It was a terribly stupid idea</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but it was better than being alone in his cell.</span>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Chapter 22</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ingrid sat huddled in a blanket in the guest room of Heimdall’s house</span>
  <span>; </span>
  <span>for all</span>
  <span> intents and purposes, it</span>
  <span> was her room</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
  <span>The nights when she came to listen to his stories and fell asleep </span>
  <span>by the fire, </span>
  <span>she would</span>
  <span> wake up in </span>
  <span>this</span>
  <span> room</span>
  <span>. It lacked the luxury of her palace chambers, despite Heimdall’s </span>
  <span>prominent</span>
  <span> position in the hierarchy of Asgard. There was no overabundance of gold detailing</span>
  <span>; </span>
  <span>no </span>
  <span>lofty</span>
  <span> ceilings</span>
  <span>; no </span>
  <span>big open spaces</span>
  <span>; just comfort.</span>
  
  <span>She pulled her blanket </span>
  <span>tighter around her shoulders, </span>
  <span>opening the book </span>
  <span>she had</span>
  <span> brought with her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Her disguise had worked </span>
  <span>better than she hoped, </span>
  <span>no one gave her a second glance. She </span>
  <span>shifted back to </span>
  <span>herself once she was inside, </span>
  <span>feeling positive, the changes </span>
  <span>hadn't</span>
  <span> really </span>
  <span>drained her</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but she could feel her energy sapping away slowly.</span>
  <span> It was better to leave herself with enough energy to try and fix her memories, </span>
  <span>she had no idea how much it would take, or if </span>
  <span>she would</span>
  <span> even manage it.</span>
  
  
</p><p>
  <span>The book </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> tell her specifically how to do it, she knew </span>
  <span>she would</span>
  <span> be fumbling around in the dark</span>
  <span>, searching for something she might never find. </span>
  <span>The more she read, the more she realised that </span>
  <span>she would</span>
  <span> have to somehow project into her own mind, </span>
  <span>to find those pieces that lay scattered</span>
  <span> there. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ok, so you’re about to go poking about in your own head... Alone... With no one to help.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She placed her hands on the side of her head and </span>
  <span>entered her own mind with ease</span>
  <span>, shocking herself at how proficient she had become</span>
  <span> at </span>
  <span>letting the energy flow through her.</span>
  <span> At first, everything was black</span>
  <span>, like she was floating in a starless space. Blobs of colour </span>
  <span>formed, that </span>
  <span>vibrated around her, </span>
  <span>she heard </span>
  <span>muffled</span>
  <span> voices </span>
  <span>that made her feel like she was underwater.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She reached a tentative hand out to one of the shapeless </span>
  <span>blotches of colour and sound</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Loki! You idiot</span>
  <span>!</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> her own voice shouted, backed by </span>
  <span>Loki’s guffawing.</span>
  
  <span>The memory was </span>
  <span>as clear as if were </span>
  <span>happening to</span>
  <span> her right then</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>she had</span>
  <span> been right there in the field, holding the bow.</span>
  
  
</p><p>
  <span>Now she knew what an intact memory looked like, she</span>
  
  <span>set about finding something that </span>
  <span>looked broken</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>It </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> long before she </span>
  <span>encountered</span>
  
  <span>one, unlike the colourful memories, these were </span>
  <span>dull</span>
  
  <span>and distorted. </span>
  <span>She held a hand to one and </span>
  <span>instead of seeing a memory, she </span>
  <span>saw shadows, drifting about</span>
  <span>. Their </span>
  <span>voices were </span>
  <span>harsh, buzzing in her ear, she </span>
  <span>couldn’t</span>
  <span> make out any words.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>This was torture, these were her memories</span>
  <span>, reduced to shadowy</span>
  <span>, meaningless </span>
  <span>voids</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
  <span>She just wanted to remember, to know what drove Loki to </span>
  <span>such desperate measures, to see what he </span>
  <span>did not</span>
  <span> want her to see. A small flash</span>
  <span> in her peripheral vision drew her attention back to </span>
  <span>one of the broken memories, </span>
  <span>she wondered </span>
  <span>what had made it </span>
  <span>flicker</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Loki,” she shouted</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>Several of the memories flashed in response.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Thor, Frigga, Odin, Heimdall... Asgard,” she shouted one by one, watching the different bursts of colour. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Loki...” the broken memory quivered, there was no colour, but it was </span>
  <span>definitely reacting</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She touched her hand to it again and gritted her teeth through the buzzing sound that grated in her ears, “I know you’re in here, I just need to remember!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki’s face appeared on the shadow in front of her, she looked down at herself, filthy, shackled and chained. The memory flickered again, and she pushed herself harder, the surroundings became clear, a busy town with loud music and bright lights. Loki was speaking to her, but it was muted, the scene jumped and lurched, his face changed into a man she </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> recognise. She was being pulled along, reaching a building, women were in the windows, a pink woman took her. Ingrid’s face was wet with tears as the man walked away.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She pulled herself out of the memory, watching the broken memory join with other pieces until it was complete, she remembered.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “He sold me...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid gasped, opening her eyes to find herself back in Heimdall’s house. The whole memory was still fresh in her mind as if it had just happened, her heart was racing, her limbs were weak. Wiping at her face and finding fresh tears there. She moved about on autopilot, changing her eyes and hair, picking up her book in a daze and leaving. She felt more exposed on the way back to the palace, her eyes stinging, feeling the concerned gaze of people </span>
  <span>as she </span>
  <span>dashed past.</span>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>She saw no one in the palace hallways, feeling relieved that she had made it there and back with no problems. Her plan had worked, at least this time anyway, she was going to have to think up new disguises each time. There were only two people she could learn full Shape-shifting from, one of them would ask too many questions and the other... she </span>
  <span>didn't</span>
  <span> want to see at all right now. Laying the book down, she collapsed into her bed, with no idea what she was going to do. Should she let on that </span>
  <span>she had</span>
  <span> recovered a memory? The thought that she could even call off the wedding now, crossed her mind, why was she still protecting the man who kidnapped her and sold her?</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Because I love him... that’s why.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The words tumbled from her lips </span>
  <span>with ease, no internal denial, no </span>
  <span>lightning bolt of realisation, no fanfare. </span>
  <span>It had just been there, inside her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Now what do I do?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ok, so you’re in love with a man who kidnapped you, dragged you through a forest for hours, sold you to a Madame... But </span>
  <span>I’m</span>
  <span> here now, did I escape? Did he do something to help me? Then there is the matter of him trying to take Earth by force... People </span>
  <em>
    <span>died</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and yet I know he was under some other influence. Why are you so fucked up, you stupid woman, you </span>
  <span>cannot</span>
  <span> love a man like that, no matter what he used to mean to </span>
  <span>you.</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Her </span>
  <span>argument with herself was disturbed by the rap of knuckles on her door</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Come in,” she shouted, </span>
  <span>she </span>
  <span>couldn't</span>
  <span> put off the</span>
  <span> multitude of people that needed to bother her, any longer.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It was Frigga, and behind her, the dressmaker, her short, </span>
  <span>pudgy</span>
  <span> arms, laden with cloth</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Goodness, Ingrid. Where have you been? This is the third time </span>
  <span>we’ve</span>
  <span> been here. Helga needs your measurements and </span>
  <span>your</span>
  <span> choice of fabric.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’m sorry, Frigga. I needed a walk, I felt a bit overwhelmed</span>
  <span>,” Ingrid lied.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Well, </span>
  <span>let’s</span>
  <span> get you measured and then we’ll be on our way</span>
  <span>. Tomorrow we need to start planning the feast.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> care, she </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> care what food there was, she </span>
  <span>wouldn’t</span>
  <span> be able to eat any of it anyway. </span>
  <span>She wished they could plan this without her, choose whatever they liked and be done with it.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Helga busied herself with taking Ingrid’s measurements</span>
  <span>. She was a short, plump woman, with grey hair pulled into a bun high on her round head. </span>
  <span>Looking up at Ingrid with kind, blue eyes, small creases </span>
  <span>in her skin around them. Ingrid felt marginally calmer, </span>
  <span>relaxing around her as she whipped a tape measure </span>
  <span>around her with great ease.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ingrid, what fabric would you like? If none of these are suitable, then Helga can come back later with more choices,” Frigga </span>
  <span>said.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid looked at the pile of fabrics that Helga had laid out on her bed, in three days she would be dressed up in one of them, she might as well choose something she liked. Piece after piece, too </span>
  <span>flashy</span>
  <span>, too stiff, too red, until there it was, a soft green fabric with gold </span>
  <span>embellishment</span>
  <span>, A beautiful, woven pattern that made her heart quicken, it reminded her of him.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “This one is perfect,” Ingrid told Helga.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>That one?” Frigga asked.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> sure if she was imagining the look of slight surprise on Frigga’s face, or </span>
  <span>the gently raised eyebrow</span>
  <span>, “Yes, it’s beautiful.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I wasn’t sure you liked green, it suits you though,” Frigga said as she held the fabric up against Ingrid.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’ll start on your dress this evening, I’ll fetch you if I need you,” Helga said as she exited Ingrid’s chambers.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid closed the door behind Helga and turned back, hoping to fall into her bed, forgetting that Frigga was still in her </span>
  <span>room, jumping when she saw </span>
  <span>her sitting on the edge of her bed.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “There was a time when I thought the two of you might end up together,” she told Ingrid.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I, er... what?” Ingrid was completely taken aback by Frigga’s words.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “The way you used to look at each other, I caught you holding hands once, your first year here. Loki swore to protect you, he made an oath and everything, it was very sweet.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Yes! I remember, I followed him everywhere,” Ingrid said with a wistful smile.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I wish things had turned out differently,” Frigga stood and held out her arms to embrace Ingrid.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid let the older woman wrap her arms around her tightly and she returned the gesture, Frigga spoke quietly in her ear, “If you ever need me for anything, you know where to find me.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Frigga broke the hug and walked to the door, “We’ll continue the magic lessons after the wedding,” she winked and left.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid was drained, it wasn’t very late, the light had only just started to fade, “Bath first, then sleep... hopefully.”</span>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Chapter 23</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Smut is coming!</p><p>I don't write a lot of notes, but just wanted to say at this point that it's nice to see so many hits. Also don't be afraid to let me know where I'm going wrong... or right :)</p><p>I see a lot of people including their playlists. When I write, I listen to a lot of film scores, Wardruna, Enya, Faun and Patty Gurdy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em> Oh no, not again! </em> </p><p>She was projecting in her sleep again, she'd taken herself to the streets of the planet where Loki had sold her. Her best guess was that the newly repaired memory was still fresh, and her dream projections were out of her control, for now.  </p><p><em> No problem, I got back from the last one, I can just leave this one. </em> </p><p>  “You did it again?”  </p><p>Her stomach twisted in response to that voice, “Why are you here?” </p><p>  “You called me here,” Loki replied. </p><p>  “I did no such thing!” </p><p>  “I heard you, or rather, I felt you. Clear as day.” </p><p>Ingrid wheeled around to look at Loki, her nostrils flared as she drew deep, angry breaths. </p><p>  “I know what you did, Loki, God of Mischief... you took me, you brought me here-” </p><p>  “Now, I don't know what you think you remember but-” Loki interrupted. </p><p>  “...AND YOU SOLD ME TO A PLEASURE HOUSE!” </p><p>He was silent as she glared at him, his mouth twitching at the sides. </p><p>  “I don't remember everything, but now I know what you did. How could you?” </p><p>  “Ingrid, it’s not what you think...” Loki took a tentative step towards her. </p><p>  “You sold me for 100,000 units.” </p><p>  “Ok, it is what you think. But there is so much more to the story, you’re back on Asgard, safe and unharmed.” </p><p>  “Then why won't you help me remember the full story... you know what? Don’t bother, you’re a selfish bastard. More concerned with what you don’t want me to find out, than with helping the woman who’s always been there for you.” </p><p>  “I am not being selfish-” </p><p>  “You could have fooled me Loki, so what if you did some bad shit. You’re not protecting me from anything, you fucked up, and you’ll be in your cell for the rest of you life because of it.” </p><p>Loki looked mad, really mad. He pursed his lips at her and jabbed a finger as if he were about to make a point. Instead he strode towards her, she yelped and jumped back but he was faster. He grabbed her face, fingers tight against her skull, she thought he was going to kill her... But he didn’t hurt her, he pulled her head to his until their foreheads touched. She stopped fighting his grip and he pressed his lips softly against hers. </p><p>Ingrid didn’t have much chance to process the kiss before she was flooded with a rush of memories returning to her. Her mind was no longer broken, it was an overwhelming sensation, images flashed at high speed. He broke the connection between them once he’d finished. Ingrid didn’t move, she didn’t speak, she didn’t even blink, frozen on the spot as she processed all the returning memories. </p><p>  “Ingrid?” Loki said, clicking his fingers in front of her face. </p><p>  “You kidnapped me; sold me; saved me; I saved you, giving me magic in the process... You’re Jötunn?...” Ingrid took a shaky breath, her heart was hammering in her breast. </p><p>  “Then you reject my advances; destroy some guy’s memories; try to force yourself on me; tell me you <em> love  </em> me;  destroy  <em> my </em> memories, before leaving me to stumble back to Asgard with no idea what happened to me... I’ve got that about right?” </p><p>Loki nodded and swallowed hard, “Yeah, that’s about right.” </p><p>  “Then I’m guessing you ran off to finish your master plan of taking over Earth?” </p><p>  “It wasn’t like that...” </p><p>  “<em> Ohhh </em> <em>  it wasn’t like that </em>,” she retorted, in a mocking tone. </p><p>  “I didn’t want people to know that I was still out there, that’s true. But I couldn’t have you going back to Asgard with the burden that you did not stop me... And I do.” </p><p>  “Do what?” </p><p>  “Love you. It almost killed me to do that to you,” Loki looked at her with dark eyes, like a storm raged beneath them. </p><p>  “Not that it matters, now you’re marrying that dimwit of a man,” he continued. </p><p>  “That’s none of your business, Loki.” </p><p>  “He’s a cretin, Ingrid. An imbecile. He suspects, correctly so, that my feelings for you run deep and now he’s taking great pleasure in trying to own you.” </p><p>  “Firstly, no one owns me. Secondly, you don’t understand... I am not doing this because I love him. At first, he was sweet, he helped me through those first months. Now... he’s different.” </p><p>  “Why are you marrying him?” Loki grasped her hands, his skin was soft against hers and a shiver ran down her spine. </p><p>  “Because he'll kill you if I don’t... And I can’t let that happen, because, I love you too,” she instinctively stroked her fingers against his. </p><p>Neither of them said anything, it was out in the open now, their feelings naked and exposed. Loki made the first move, leaning closer, she followed his lead. Inches felt like miles, seconds became hours, she felt like they were stuck in that sweet moment before a kiss. Feeling the heat from his lips, his breath on her face, their two hearts beat out a rhythm together. His mouth was so gentle on hers, waiting for permission to let go and surrender to the tension that had built in that small space between them. </p><p>Ingrid let out a whimper against him and he pulled her flush against his chest, deepening the kiss, their lips parted in unison and their tongues slipped against each other. </p><p>  “Wait,” Ingrid exclaimed, her face flushed, voice husky with arousal. </p><p>  “What is it? Do you want to stop?” </p><p>  “No... No. Just not here,” she motioned to the squalid streets, “take me back to the hot spring.” </p><p>Loki held onto her, projecting the two of them to the planet Ustrala, to the hot spring he’d shown her all those months ago, where he had shown himselfto her. Ingrid realised that must have never felt more exposed in his life than he was in that moment, the man that rarely let anyone in. He had thought that her advances were pity, but the truth was that he'd never looked more beautiful to her, finally himself. </p><p>He gave her no time to admire the sights, crushing her against him again, running his hands over her as if testing that she were real.  </p><p>  “I’m here,” she whispered to him. </p><p>He scooped her up in his arms and lay her on the mossy ground at the edge of the spring, “You definitely want this?” he asked her as he lay himself beside her, stroking her hair from her face. </p><p>  “I really do,” her breath hitched as she spoke. </p><p>Loki trailed a hand between them, removing their clothing with his magic, piece by piece until they were skin to skin.  </p><p>  “How did you?” </p><p>  “Shhhh,” Loki broke her off and seized her lips in his own. She responded and tangled her fingers in his dark hair, deepening the kiss and allowing his tongue to explore her mouth. His hand moved from its resting place against her cheek, down to the milky white skin of her breasts, he rubbed a thumb over the pink tip of her breast briefly and continued downwards. Over her stomach, down to her thigh where he paused and moved back upwards to her centre. Grazing his fingers over the light cornsilk hair there, making her gasp and hold her breath in anticipation. He parted her soft lips with a single finger, she kissed him harder to signal her enjoyment, feeling his length stiffen against her.  </p><p>Loki rubbed the tip of his finger over her clit before sliding into the warm, wet flesh of her core. Ingrid purred beneath him as he alternated between massaging her rigid bud and exploring her entrance. He moved his mouth to her breast, sucking lightly, his teeth grazing her nipple, moaning as she made her own sounds of appreciation. He stopped abruptly and she whimpered, Loki gave her a wicked smile and moved himself downwards until he was nestled between her thighs. He kissed her mound delicately, teasing her, before he relented and let his tongue glide between her folds. He parted her lips with his fingers and tasted her, a low growl in his throat. Each long, slow stroke of his tongue made her tingle, then he would suck gently on her clit, making her ache for him. </p><p>Her fingers were tangled up in his dark hair, clutching at his head as if he were the only thing keeping her anchored to the world. Her moans  became strangled as his head between her thighs became her only focus, her back arching with each movement of his mouth against her. Something inside her coiled tightly, threatening to spring at any moment in an explosion of heat. Her hands on his head, gripped tightly to stop him and he looked up at her with a puzzled expression. </p><p>  “I don’t want to finish yet,” she answered, sitting up and pushing him onto his back. Taking a small moment to look at him, his lean muscle was tensed as he awaited her next move. </p><p>She straddled his hips and positioned herself above his erection, there she hovered, feeling it push against her slick opening. She smiled at him and he grasped her hips, plunging himself into her before she could tease him anymore. They cried out in unison, like a current of electricity ran through them both. Loki bucked his hips upwards and Ingrid matched him with her downwards thrusts, rocking against him and savouring the pleasurable sensation of him inside her.  </p><p>  “Show yourself to me,” she asked him. </p><p>Loki hesitated at first, feeling shameful of his origins. Ingrid gave him a look that showed him he was safe with her, her eyes soft, a gentle smile playing on her lips. He changed from the pale flesh and green eyes of his Asgardian appearance, to the blue skin and red eyes of his Jötunn form, with the curious markings that covered the surface of him. Ingrid continued grinding on him, letting him fill her deeply, her eyes locked with his. The heat was building in her again, this time she was going to let go, let herself fall into the endless void of pleasure. </p><p>Loki's breaths came quicker, more ragged like her own, she knew he was close too. His movements were no longer controlled as he headed to the same destination. Ingrid threw back her head as she felt the explosion inside of her, her walls tightening against him, a pulsating warmth that radiated to every part of her. The last moments of her orgasm tipped the scales for Loki and she felt him release himself into her, his moans became deep grunts. The two of them writhed as they played out the last scene of their private performance, collapsing together in a heap on the ground. </p><p>Ingrid smiled as Loki kissed her forehead, his thumb stroking her cheek, “I love you,” he told her. </p><p>  “I love you too,” she replied, kissing his lips softly. </p><p>  “I wish we could stay like this forever,” she continued, when the two of them had finally come around. </p><p>  “It pains me to know that when I wake up, you won’t be in my arms, but we will have these nights together,” he replied. </p><p>  “Then we will have to make these nights last an eternity,” Ingrid laughed. </p><p>She watched as Loki changed back to his usual appearance, “You’re beautiful no matter which form you choose,” she reassured him. </p><p>  “I appreciate you saying, it’s a matter of personal comfort though.” </p><p>She placed her head on his chest and they lay there, listening to each other breathe. Ingrid knew she would have to part with him soon, she wasn’t ready to face the day ahead, without him. </p><p>  “It’s time to leave, Ingrid,” she heard his voice inside his chest.  </p><p>  “I will see you again tonight?” she asked him. </p><p>  “Every time you sleep, I’ll be waiting for you.” </p><p>He kissed her one last time before he vanished in front of her, she touched her lips and smiled, giddy at the thought of what had just happened between them. Her happiness was tinged with heartache, realising she would not be able to see or touch him all day. With a sigh, she made the journey back to her own body, her eyes opened to the soft light of dawn. </p><p>  “Hello, Ingrid. Did you have a pleasant dream?” </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, I'm not fully aware of the ins and outs of Astral Projection. Whether an Astral form can feel external stimuli like cold, heat, a breeze etc. So I've refrained from including things like that. I'm also unsure of whether Loki can use magic in his Astral form, for things like removing clothing (because technically the clothing doesn't exist)<br/>If anyone has any ideas on how it might work, don't hesitate to comment :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Chapter 24</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>  “Hello, Ingrid. Did you have a pleasant dream?” </p><p>Gunnar was sat at the end of her bed, his expression was blank. </p><p>  “Gunnar, what are you doing here?”  </p><p>  “You were dreaming about him weren’t you? Don’t try and deny it, I heard you call his name.” </p><p>  “How long have you been there?” </p><p>  “DON’T... change the subject, answer my question.” </p><p>  “You knew the deal Gunnar, I would be your wife but you’d never have all of me.” </p><p>  “You filthy little whore! You’d give yourself to him over me?” There was venom in his voice now, enough to scare her. Before he threatened Loki’s life, she would have taught him a lesson, now she felt hopeless. </p><p>  “Why are you doing this Gunnar?” </p><p>  “Because that wretched man took my world from me, my brother, the only family I had left on Asgard. He was one of the guards killed when Loki let the Frost Giants into Asgard, another one of his tricks,” Gunnar spat. </p><p>Ingrid winced, she could guess why Loki did what he did, but that didn’t make it right. His life was full of scorned people who would love nothing more than to get revenge. Most of his tricks were harmless, others, caused ripples of consequences  that reached out further than Loki could anticipate. </p><p>  “But, why me?” </p><p>  “Because you’re his favourite thing, don't you see that?” </p><p>Truthfully, she had only just seen it, only a few hours ago, but she couldn’t tell Gunnar that. </p><p>  “I’m sorry you went through something like that , but I wasn’t involved... Can't you see that you’re hurting me for no reason?” </p><p>Gunnar flipped and jumped off the edge of her bed, storming towards her and grabbing her by the neck. His stare was intense, he was fuelled by his rage, squeezing at her throat like it wasn't her face that he saw.  </p><p>He shook his head as if bugs crawled about in his skull, releasing his grip, “No sense in killing you, then my fun would be over.” </p><p>  “Someone will figure out what you’re up to, Heimdall will- “ </p><p>Gunnar began laughing, “You’re so naïve, Ingrid. Heimdall can’t see you! Did you really think that I haven’t taken measures to ensure I wasn’t discovered?” </p><p>Ingrid flapped her mouth in disbelief, Gunnar really was one step ahead of her; but she still had Loki. Knowing Heimdall couldn’t see what was happening to her, made her feel like she’d taken ten steps back. </p><p>  “Now get dressed, I have something I want to show you,” he continued. </p><p>He left the room and waited outside so she could dress, she huddled up on her bed at first, not wanting to leave the room and find out what he wanted to show her. She stayed like that until he banged on her door impatiently, only then did she make a move to get dressed, lazily pulling on her tunic. When she exited her room, Gunnar held an arm out for her to link, her first reaction was to swipe his arm away, but his expression was stern.  </p><p>He led her from the palace, down into the city streets, people smiled at her as she walked past; arm in arm with Gunnar. They all anticipated her wedding, though she wasn’t part of the royal family, the wedding would be of royal standards. Loki was right, she wasn’t a princess of Asgard, but they treated her like one, so what was the difference. She returned the smiles of the Asgardian people with one that didn’t reach her eyes, if they could tell that she was unhappy, they didn’t let it show. </p><p>She let Gunnar lead her to an area of the city with large houses, where the upper classes resided. Gunnar didn’t have to speak, she knew why he’d brought her here, their marital home. Ingrid hadn’t even thought about having to leave the palace, of being ripped from the comfort and safety of her life there, of having to live with Gunnar. How long did he plan to keep up the lie? would she be forced into a life of serving him? She looked up at the large house, a beautiful carving of Yggdrasil adorned the doorway, a balcony above her head that looked out over the water; it was nothing more than a gilded cage to her.</p><p>  “Don’t look so defeated, Ingrid. You won’t want for anything here, just keep playing along, fulfil your duties as my wife and you’ll be rewarded,” Gunnar said, looking pleased that everything was falling into place. He reached out and brushed an errant strand of hair from her face, a loving gesture under different circumstances; but anything but from Gunnar. In the beginning, his actions had felt like love, now they were laced with his sinister intentions. </p><p>  “Would you like to look around? A gracious gift from Odin, don’t you think?” </p><p>Ingrid grit her teeth and swallowed back the words she wanted to say, “I think I’ll leave it, no sense in ruining the surprise.” </p><p>  “As you wish, I’ll escort you back to the palace.” </p><p>  “I can make my own way back, Gunnar...” </p><p>  “Nonsense, can’t have my future wife roaming the streets of Asgard unattended,” he smiled at her in a way that told her that he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. </p><p>He had her hold his arm the whole way back, as if he were parading her about, a wild animal that he’d tamed and chained. She was surprised that he couldn’t feel her trembling with anger, or maybe he could and was relishing the fact that she could do nothing about it. When she was finally alone again in her chambers, she clenched her jaw so hard she thought she might break a tooth, her nails dug into her palms and her head burned with pent up rage. She stayed like this until her breathing slowed and her heart was no longer pounding in her chest. </p><p>Deciding that she couldn't think straight until she had some time to relax, she ran herself a hot bath, but even that couldn’t ease how tense she felt. When the hot water hit her flesh, she felt no release, it didn’t soothe her. When she exited the tub, she wrapped herself in the biggest towel she could find, her hair swinging free in damp tendrils. She saw the scissors, she knew it wouldn’t work but she did it anyway, hacking at the thick golden strands until it was up to her chin. She waited for it to grow back, to fix itself like it usually did, it wasn’t the first time she’d tried to cut her hair... but it didn’t grow back. It stayed at her chin, her head felt light and free and she laughed at herself in her splintered mirror. </p><hr/><p>When Loki awoke in his cell, he felt something he’d not felt in a long time. A piece of happiness was growing inside of him, he realised he was smiling to himself. She loved him, she accepted him, she wanted him, but with his realisation came guilt. He’d treated her so badly all those months ago, but she knew, she could see that he wasn’t right, and still she hadn’t given up on him, right up until he took her memories. </p><p>He’d thought that she was stupid at first, trying to talk to him, to reach him, he’d wanted her to know it. He wanted to hurt her, to show her that he wasn’t in anyone’s shadow, that he was to be feared and worshipped. Now, he knew it had all been the Sceptre’s influence, fuelling his pain and turning it into twisted desire for the things he believed should be his. </p><p>She was no longer the fragile little girl that Odin had brought to Asgard, she was a warrior. No doubt he’d loved her from that very first moment, when she had run at Odin and he’d knocked her unconscious. She’d looked so helpless; he had sworn to himself that no harm would come to her again. He’d broken his own oath by taking her, abandoning her and destroying her memories. </p><p>But now, he could start undoing all the damage he had done, because despite it all, she still loved him and that was all he needed.  </p><hr/><p>Ingrid sat by her window, long shafts of warm sunlight entered her room, on any other day they would be welcome reminders of the beautiful weather outside. Today was different, the rays of light held no warmth for her, she sat and watched the dust motes dancing in the beams. </p><p>She had trawled through her wardrobe and found the outfit that she had arrived back on Asgard in, now it held a greater amount of significance to her and she had slipped herself into the comfortable, black material. Admiring herself in the mirror, she looked so different, almost unrecognisable, her now short hair brushed against her shoulders and she enjoyed the sensation. </p><p>The sound of a large hand beating against her door and she painted a smile on her face, she knew it was Thor, “Come in.” </p><p>  “Hey, Ingri- oh my god! What did you do to your hair? How did you do that to your hair?” Thor made a rather amusing flapping motion with his mouth several times. </p><p>  “Don't you like it? I'm not sure how I did it, I just cut it and it stayed like this.” </p><p>  “But you've cut it before, it always grows back.” </p><p>  “Well, I don't know what to tell you Thor,” she shrugged nonchalantly. </p><p>  “But...” his mouth flapped again. </p><p>  “So, what did you come to see me for?” </p><p>  “Oh, er... I've been told to fetch you,” he said with a goofy grin. </p><p>  “Fetch me for what?” Ingrid didn’t like the sound of this. </p><p>  “I don’t know, a ladies only engagement,” he winked. </p><p>Ingrid winced inside, she didn’t want to go, but she couldn’t disappoint Frigga. She knew that Frigga in all her kindness had planned something for her, but what could she do. </p><p>  “I’m not really feeling in the mood for festivities, Thor.” </p><p>  “Ingrid, your wedding is the day after tomorrow, now is the perfect time to celebrate.” </p><p>  “I... I just don’t want to go.” </p><p>  “Ingrid? Is everything ok?” He took a step forward to embrace her. </p><p>Ingrid stepped back, away from his reach, one hug from Thor and everything would come crashing down. She wanted to believe that she could tell him, and they would somehow figure out a way to stop Gunnar from killing Loki, but she had no idea what things Gunnar had in place to ensure his marriage to her went ahead. Who was watching her, who could she trust? </p><p>  “Everything is fine, I was just feeling a little overwhelmed, it seems to be happening faster than I thought,” she let herself be taken in by his huge arms, lest he start worrying about her enough to start poking around. </p><p>  “You’ve had a pretty rough year, Ingrid. We all have, it hit you particularly hard it seems,” he said, pressing his lips against her hair, “I love you as if you were my own sister and I want you to be happy.” </p><p>  “I love you too, but not quite as much as I love breathing,” she said hoarsely. </p><p>  “Oh! Forgive me, I don’t know my own strength,” he laughed, holding out an arm to her, “Shall we?” </p><p>  “Ohh, go on then,” she linked him and let him lead her out of her chambers. She knew she could manage to pretend that she was okay, for a little while. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Chapter 25</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ingrid’s afternoon with </span>
  <span>Frigga and Sif </span>
  <span>was going</span>
  
  <span>exactly how she expected it to, </span>
  <span>first came the uproar over her new hair, </span>
  <span>she had never seen Frigga looked so </span>
  <span>dumbstruck. Sif held a hand to her </span>
  <span>mouth, but Ingrid </span>
  <span>couldn't</span>
  <span> tell if she was hiding a grin or if she was similarly shocked. </span>
  <span>Frigga </span>
  <span>tugged at the hacked ends of Ingrid’s hair, </span>
  <span>sighing in disbelief, telling how beautiful her hair had been. Ingrid huffed, insisting that she preferred it this way.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Frigga fussed and fawned over her and Sif looked </span>
  <span>entirely uncomfortable. </span>
  <span>They had brought </span>
  <span>along some of the female Einherjar,</span>
  <span> most of whom wished her well in her </span>
  <span>marriage,</span>
  <span> and retreated to a quiet </span>
  <span>corner of the room to talk amongst themselves. </span>
  <span>Brunhilde</span>
  <span> had even graced the</span>
  <span>m </span>
  <span>with her presence, </span>
  <span>she too, wished Ingrid well and then </span>
  <span>reclined against a wall</span>
  <span> making herself a </span>
  <span>formidable presence.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Frigga had gone to the trouble of planning a lavish dinner for the ladies, </span>
  <span>tables were laid out with some of the finest food in Asgard. A huge roasted pig </span>
  <span>dominated the very centre of the table at the heart of the room, </span>
  <span>upon the tables lay the very cloth she was to </span>
  <span>wear to the ceremony. </span>
  <span>The ale and wine flowed freely</span>
  <span> and</span>
  <span> the </span>
  <span>Einherjar guests, now very drunk, were regaling each other with tales of battles fought and won</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>Brunhilde</span>
  
  <span>looked as </span>
  <span>surly</span>
  <span> as ever. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid </span>
  <span>felt a stab of remorse over the lengths Frigga had gone to, </span>
  <span>to celebrate Ingrid’s forthcoming </span>
  <span>wedding.</span>
  <span> She drank and she ate with the rest of them, but </span>
  <span>she was numb. When the </span>
  <span>celebration had ended and the guests had all left, Ingrid went to thank </span>
  <span>Frigga for </span>
  <span>her </span>
  <span>hard work</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>support, but the kindly woman held a hand to </span>
  <span>hush</span>
  <span> her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Something troubles you my child, I do not know what and I can’t see into your mind, I know you’re blocking me,” </span>
  <span>she said, worry written all over her face.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “There is nothing wrong,” Ingrid argued.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I wish you wouldn’t lie to me, I’m not stupid. Is it Gunnar? He’s already hit you, has he done something else?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Tell her, tell her </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>what’s</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> happening, </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>she’ll</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> figure a way out of this.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid opened her mouth, over Frigga's shoulder, she saw a guard walk past the doorway and pause briefly, “Frigga, I would never lie to you, Gunnar looks after me, he’s devoted to me and I to him. He won’t ever make the same mistake again.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I won’t lie to you either, Ingrid. I’m not fond of that man at all, there’s something off about him.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You want to protect me, I know, but you can do that by trusting me.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She wrapped her arms around Frigga, “And I’m sorry about the hair.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Just how did you manage it?” Frigga asked as they parted.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Well, that’s something I wanted to speak to you about, I’m not sure how I did it, but I think magic is involved.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “That’s some strong magic, I wouldn’t expect you to be able to overcome an enchantment like that, not yet anyway.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’ve been projecting in my sleep too...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Well, that’s to be expected, until you gain more control. We’ll continue our lessons after the wedding if you’re not too busy of course.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’d like that very much,” Ingrid swallowed the lump in her throat back down, she doubted Gunnar would let her out of his sight, much less visit Frigga. She decided against telling her about regaining her memories, she </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> ready to get into that, especially the part about her meetings with Loki. Frigga would be happy to see the two of them together under different circumstances, but she would be less than thrilled to learn that Ingrid was engaged in a weird astral relationship with her war criminal son.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She left Frigga to go back to her chambers; lost in thought, would anyone ever accept her and Loki, if she found a way out of all this. She could imagine Odin booming at her, by his side, Thor would be shaking his head in disapproval. The only person she could imagine ever warming to the idea, was Frigga. Ingrid was so consumed by her thoughts that she </span>
  <span>failed to</span>
  <span> notice the guard fast approaching her as she neared her door, she looked up too late, he pushed her into her room, kicking the door closed behind him.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He forced her against the wall, “What did you tell Frigga?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid recognised him as the same guard who had been loitering at the door to the hall, “I didn’t tell her anything.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You lie, I saw you whispering to her,” he was </span>
  <span>almost nose</span>
  <span> to nose with her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Don’t you think she’d be on a rampage if I’d told her what Gunnar was doing?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He leaned in closer, his lips at her ear, “I guess I could tell Gunnar that you’re telling the truth... for a price.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> think, just connected her forehead with his nose. He staggered back, clutching his face.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You bitch! Gunnar will make you pay for that,” he said through splayed fingers.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You just tell him to stop sending his dogs to do his dirty work.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Gunnar’s lackey left her chambers, she slammed the door after him, leaning against it and sliding to the floor, “Not the best decision I’ve ever made.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Her thoughts turned to Loki, of what they would do tonight, while the rest of Asgard slept. Her bed called to her already, Loki </span>
  <span>wouldn’t</span>
  <span> be asleep yet, but she </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> see the harm in lying down for a bit first.</span>
  
</p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Wait, where am I? I fell asleep already. This is... the dungeons, why am I here?</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She walked between the rows of cells, freezing when two guards marched down the walkway, but they </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> stop; they </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> see her. Stopping at the end, she saw him, sat on his bed, reading an Astrology Tome. His brow was slightly </span>
  <span>furrowed</span>
  <span> as he studied the pages, his lips gently pursed, he licked a finger before turning the pages and Ingrid stifled a giggle; the librarian would go crazy if he saw what Loki was doing. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki paused and cocked his head as if he heard something, he narrowed his eyes and then shook his head. Ingrid moved quietly into his cell; surprised that she could move across the barrier and sat down beside him as he read. It was just like the times she used to watch him read in the library, when he would </span>
  <span>feign</span>
  <span> that he was annoyed by her presence.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He stopped again, scanning the room, and looking right through her. She playfully blew on his face, uncertain that it would have any effect; but it did. Loki blinked and wrinkled his nose.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Who’s there?” he demanded.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She </span>
  <span>couldn’t</span>
  <span> really touch things, but she could manipulate them slightly, waving her hand over the pages of his book, making them </span>
  <span>flutter</span>
  <span>. Loki slammed the book shut and jumped up off his bed.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Show yourself!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Say please and maybe I will,” Ingrid teased.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ingrid?! What are you doing?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I didn’t mean to come here, I was tired, so I closed my eyes for a bit, next thing I know, I’m in the dungeons.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “It’s probably best that you don’t show yourself, if one of the guards see you in my cell, there’ll be trouble.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Well hurry up and sleep, Loki. I’m bored.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Be patient, it’ll be lights out soon,” he looked up and gave a sheepish grin to a passing guard. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “It’s </span>
  <span>a good job</span>
  <span> they believe me to be insane, Ingrid.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>When the lights in the dungeons dimmed, Loki lied down on his bed and closed his eyes, Ingrid watched him intently as his breathing slowed and his face relaxed, he looked quite peaceful for a man locked up for the rest of his days.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Have you quite finished watching me sleep?” he said, startling her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Sorry, you just drifted off so easily.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You imagined my nights to be full of endless self-torment over my predicament?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “No, not exactly. </span>
  <span>It’s</span>
  <span> just strange isn’t it? I should be awake myself and yet... sleep takes me every night, I don’t lie awake thinking of my problems.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Do you wish that’s what you were doing?” Loki raised an eyebrow at her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “No, but I’ve got one day left until my wedding, Loki. I should be using all my available time to think of a way out of this, and yet I’m drawn to you every night.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You don’t think you’re using your time wisely?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Maybe not</span>
  <span>, but I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be. He sent one of his lackeys round today, questioning me because they saw me talking to your mother.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Did he hurt you?” Loki visibly clenched his fists as he asked.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “No, he tried to get something from me, so I hurt him instead.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “That’s my girl,” he smiled.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid unloaded </span>
  <span>all of</span>
  <span> her worries onto him, about her guilt over all the planning that was going into the sham marriage, everyone’s effort. She told him about everything Gunnar had told her so far, Loki winced when she told him </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> caused the death of Gunnar’s brother.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki took a deep breath in, “Okay, first question... What have you done to your hair?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Oh, ha... I thought you were never going to ask,” she replied as she tossed it about with her hands, “I cut it, again, only this time it didn’t grow back.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “A powerful glamour? Or </span>
  <span>you’re</span>
  <span> simply inhibiting the hair from growing back? You don’t like your hair?” he looked almost hurt.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid bit her lip, she felt bad, she </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> want him to think her ungrateful at the peace offering </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> got all those years ago. She also </span>
  <span>couldn’t</span>
  <span> lie to him about it, the hair had become an unbearable burden.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “It’s beautiful hair, Loki. A wonderful gift, albeit one that I would never had needed if you </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> removed my old hair. It just isn’t practical, or controllable, or changeable.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’m sorry, I can see why it might be a bother. If </span>
  <span>you’ve</span>
  <span> got it under control with magic though, that’s something.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Yes, but for how long? </span>
  <span>I’m</span>
  <span> barely in control of my magic as it is, this seemed accidental. How can I control something if I don’t know how I did it?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “We’ll figure it out. Second question, how can we stop Gunnar?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I was hoping you might have had some ideas,” she </span>
  <span>replied rolling her eyes.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Well, we know he’s got magic involved, despite his clear hatred for the magically inclined. They’re blocking Heimdall from seeing you.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Plus he’s busy overseeing the rebuilding of the Bifrost, he’s only focused on that and any incoming threats to Asgard,” Ingrid interrupted.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Heimdall will be giving you away at the wedding, maybe you could clue him in then? Or maybe just project into Gunnar’s room and find a way to kill him in his sleep?” Loki grinned at the last part.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I think they’d know it was me, whoever is helping him, they’re sympathetic to his cause. He hates you and Frigga, that much I know, </span>
  <span>maybe he</span>
  <span> hates all Vanir. The only thing keeping you safe is my marriage to him, who knows what would happen if I kill him.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Good point... what if we spied on him?” Loki asked.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I have a feeling we couldn’t do that magically, I can’t use you or Frigga, or Thor. I don’t know which Einherjar he’s got on his side, if I’m seen approaching anyone of importance, it’s game over.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ha! Ravens!” Loki shouted.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ravens?” Ingrid tilted her head.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Odin’s Ravens to be more specific, </span>
  <span>Huginn</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>Muninn</span>
  <span> are excellent spies.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>I can glamour </span>
  <span>myself, and go to the aviary. Then couldn't I just send a message to Odin or Frigga?</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Not without evidence, </span>
  <span>Huginn</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>Muninn</span>
  <span> have to be witnesses to Gunnar’s plot, then they can go to Odin.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Don’t they only listen to Odin?” </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I have ways of making them listen,” Loki </span>
  <span>winked, “I’ll show you how.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “This better work, Loki. I have no other options.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “There are always other options, </span>
  <span>Ingrid.</span>
  <span> I won’t give up,” he pulled her in to him and kissed her head, moving down and placing butterfly kisses on her cheek and her neck.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid started to cry, silently at first, then she </span>
  <span>couldn’t</span>
  <span> fight the louder sobs, she shook with each one.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Please don’t cry,” Loki said as he wiped the tears from her cheeks.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’m going to end up married to that idiot, I’m going to have to be his wife and how can I be yours if I’m his?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You won’t belong to him, just as you don’t belong to me. I love you, but no one owns you, Ingrid. However, </span>
  <span>perhaps it</span>
  <span> would suit you to become my wife first? </span>
  <span>Obviously,</span>
  
  <span>we’d</span>
  <span> be unable to do anything formal... but we could join ourselves,” Loki looked down at his feet as he spoke.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid’s </span>
  <span>heart beat</span>
  <span> at full </span>
  <span>pelt</span>
  <span> and her cheeks burned. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Did you just propose to me?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki glanced up at her, gazing at her with hooded eyes, those incomparable green eyes.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I think I just did,” he replied nervously.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>But,</span>
  <span> Loki... we’ve only spent the past few nights together, isn’t it a bit... sudden?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You think this sudden? Do you not think </span>
  <span>I’ve</span>
  <span> thought of this a hundred times over? We have spent </span>
  <span>almost our</span>
  <span> whole lives together and loved each other half as long. We would have been together sooner if not for our failure to see what was right in front of us. I’ve done </span>
  <span>bad things</span>
  <span>, I’ve made mistakes and I want to make all that right, starting with you,” Loki had gone a little red in the face. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid had never seen this side of him, openly declaring his love. He had always preferred to keep himself to himself, </span>
  <span>scheming</span>
  <span> from the shadows, perfecting the art of being unseen until he required attention. A saner woman might have chosen to never forgive him for his actions, but Ingrid knew his actions were not always his own, when he had kidnapped her and attacked New York, something else had been driving him to it. She knew now that she wanted to be with him forever, </span>
  <span>maybe she</span>
  <span> could help him end whatever it was that eats away at his mind.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Yes,” was her reply.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Yes?” he </span>
  <span>asked</span>
  
  <span>incredulously</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Yes, but how will we do it?” Ingrid asked.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Well, like I said, it won’t be a formal affair. We can join ourselves, write our own vows, just the two of us, pledging ourselves to one another.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Excitement filled Ingrid at the thought of secretly marrying Loki, “When and where?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Tomorrow night, before the wedding. I want to surprise you with the location, okay?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Okay,” she nodded, feeling a little </span>
  <span>lightheaded</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She fell into his arms and stayed there for the rest of the evening, feeling infinitely more hopeful at the plans they had made. She </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> want to think of what would happen if they failed.</span>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Chapter 26</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ingrid awoke that morning with a renewed sense of hope, Loki’s love for her burned like a fire inside her, driving her to push forward with their plan. She knew she would need a better glamour than the one she had used to get to Heimdall’s, Loki’s idea for her seemed ridiculous and impossible, but she was going to give it her best try.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Looking in her mirror, she thought long and hard about the person she wanted to become, conjuring a picture in her mind. Loki had taught her the basics of creating an illusion, the rest was up to her, he seemed to think that she would be able to achieve it quite easily. She </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> had much chance to speak to him about the circumstances surrounding her acquisition of his magic, gaining her memories back </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> shed much light on it. Loki and herself had made a connection to heal him, the connection </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> been one way, but what Loki had thought temporary, had remained after </span>
  <span>almost seven</span>
  <span> months. The magic had never faded, only growing stronger, she had yet to tell Frigga about knowing the origins of her new power.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She had so many loose ends to tie up, but they could all wait until after she sorted out the Gunnar situation. The wedding loomed over her like predatory animal, it threatened to devour everything she was unless she found a way out. That way out was inside </span>
  <span>her, if</span>
  <span> she could make it work. Clearing her mind of every other thought besides the image she needed was the hardest part, everything else should follow, or so Loki had told her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Loki must have nothing else going on in that pretty head of his,” she said to herself.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Taking deep breaths in and releasing them slowly, she tried to melt away the slew of thoughts, her head was a mess, a tangled web of worries. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I need something calming.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She thought back to her first lessons with Frigga, the magic had responded the most when </span>
  <span>she’d</span>
  <span> accidentally thought of Loki. Then when </span>
  <span>she’d</span>
  <span> been trying to get her memories back, Loki was at the very centre of her motivations. When she projected every night, it was to Loki, always to Loki, her magic was rooted in him and she was forever tied to him through their magical </span>
  <span>tether</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>So, she let her thoughts turn to him, the good with the bad, the confused look on his face when </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> tried to force himself on her. His wicked smile whenever </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> been up to something, his true form, the patterns on his bare, blue flesh. The hint of remorse that flickered briefly before he hid it, the sadness in his voice as he took her memories, waving goodbye as he left for </span>
  <span>Vanaheim</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It worked, she focused on her original task, the illusion she needed to create. With a flash of green, her task was done, Odin’s face stared back from the mirror. She </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> know how long it would last and she rushed out her chambers to go to the aviary, right into Frigga.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Odin? My love, what are you doing here?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Oh, I came to convey my best wishes for the ceremony tomorrow... why are you here?” Ingrid thought of the easiest explanation.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I need to fetch Ingrid for her dress fitting, then a whole host of other preparations, it’s going to be a busy day.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I do believe she’s in the bath, my Queen.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “She was in the bath while you were in there?” Frigga cocked her head.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I... </span>
  <span>er</span>
  <span>... no, she was about to get in, so left,” Ingrid felt herself go red and hoped the illusion covered it.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Well, I’ll give her one hour and then I’ll be back. Where are you off to?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I must tend to my ravens.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Don’t forget you and Thor must go and fetch Gunnar for his preparations.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I haven’t forgotten, I’ll back soon.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid hurried away, there had be an almost amused tone to Frigga’s voice, had she seen right through her? </span>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>At the aviary, she ascended the spiral staircase to where </span>
  <span>Huginn</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>Muninn</span>
  <span> had the highest perches. They cawed and flapped as she approached, it was time to test Loki’s theory, would the ravens fall for her illusion?</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Huginn</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>Muninn</span>
  <span>, my thought and my mind</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>In Asgard there are secrets to find.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Muninn</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>Huginn</span>
  <span>, my mind and my thought</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>I send you to go and seek what is </span>
  <span>sought</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Go, watch Gunnar </span>
  <span>Ivarsson</span>
  <span>, see what he plans and who he plans with and report back to me.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The two ravens regarded their Master, twisting their heads as if they were sizing her up. Without warning, they spread their wings and took flight, Ingrid looked out of one of the windows to see them ascend into the sky and circle the palace.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I can’t believe that worked,” she said </span>
  <span>incredulously</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She </span>
  <span>couldn’t</span>
  <span> wait to tell Loki about him being right, then again, </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> get all smug and </span>
  <span>probably </span>
  <span>wouldn’t</span>
  <span> shut up about it. Now she had to get back to her chambers before Frigga came back to get her, she would have to carry on playing along for the rest of the day, but by tomorrow this would all be over. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Only if </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Huginn</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> and </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Muninn</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> find what I need.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Arriving back at her chambers without being discovered, she looked left and right down the long hallway before she slipped into her room and lifted the illusion. Feeling a little giggly at how easy it was, she </span>
  <span>couldn’t</span>
  <span> help but understand why Loki was always up to mischief; it was fun.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She hurriedly bathed and dressed, sitting at her dressing table, she knew that by morning </span>
  <span>she’d</span>
  <span> be a married </span>
  <span>woman, </span>
  <span>whether her plan succeeded or not.</span>
  <span> The was only one thing that was still eating at her, her realisation that </span>
  <span>she and Loki were magically tied to one </span>
  <span>another. </span>
  <span>She worried that this was the only thing that </span>
  <span>held then together, that if </span>
  <span>it had never happened, they </span>
  <span>wouldn’t</span>
  <span> be together now. </span>
  <span>She knew she was half </span>
  <span>right,</span>
  <span> she </span>
  <span>wouldn’t</span>
  <span> be with him if she had never regained her memories, she would never </span>
  <span>have </span>
  <span>got</span>
  <span> them back if she </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> have magic.</span>
  
  <span>Did he only want her now because she was like him? </span>
  <span>He said they had both loved each other for years, but </span>
  <span>why had he only made a move now?</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He </span>
  <span>wasn't</span>
  <span> going to be happy tonight when she asked him all this before they joined themselves together, but she had to be sure</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Oh crap, my vows!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> know when she was going to fit them in, </span>
  <span>she’d</span>
  <span> be surrounded for the rest of the day, “maybe he won’t mind if I wing it.”</span>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Ingrid had just finished braiding her hair when Frigga came knocking, she was happy to see her, Frigga always brought comfort and warmth with her. The older woman clasped her hands together and sighed with a smile.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “My dear, how beautiful you look this morning,” Frigga said.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You are always too kind, Frigga.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Frigga sat on the edge of Ingrid’s bed, “I spoke with my son this morning.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Oh? How is he doing?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “He’s well, quite well in fact. He seemed genuinely... happy.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “How strange, I thought for sure he’d be sulking, </span>
  <span>lamenting</span>
  <span> his failure.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Well, something has lifted his spirits, and it’s not the books I brought him,” Frigga gave her a strange look, as if she </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> suspicious of Ingrid and was waiting for her to slip up.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Does she know? She </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>couldn’t</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>possibly know</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>. </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>I’m</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> just paranoid.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Frigga moved swiftly on, seeming disappointed at something, “It’s time to go try on your dress, Helga has worked absolute wonders, it’s beautiful and... well I guess you will see for yourself.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid stood in a room in Helga’s house, holding the green fabric up against herself. She burst into tears, dabbing at her face with her sleeves. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ingrid? Are you ok in there? I’m coming in,” Frigga’s </span>
  <span>muffled</span>
  <span> voice called from the other side of the door.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Frigga opened the door just enough to let herself through, promptly closing it behind herself so Helga </span>
  <span>couldn’t</span>
  <span> see.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Tell me what the problem is, and I’ll do everything in my power to fix it,” she said.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You can’t fix this problem,” Ingrid sniffed.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Maybe I can try,” Frigga replied, taking the dress from </span>
  <span>Ingrid</span>
  <span> and leading her to a chair and kneeling before her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I shouldn’t be wearing this dress tomorrow, not for Gunnar anyway.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You don’t love him, do you?” Frigga asked.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid shook her head and wiped at her nose with her clean sleeve.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Yes, I thought as much. You’ve been miserable for days, ever since Loki was brought back.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Well, I need to talk to you about that... I got my memories back, and...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Loki was the one responsible? Yes, I figured that much out myself.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “That’s not all...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Frigga raised an eyebrow as Ingrid bit her lip sheepishly.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I started projecting at night, to Loki,” Frigga’s eyebrow was now raised so much, it threatened to fly off her forehead completely.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “...and... well, he told me he loved me, and I love him too.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Well, it’s about time the two of you actually admitted it to one another. It’s a little bittersweet under the circumstances.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “He wants to marry me himself, tonight, just the two of us. He knows it won’t be official but...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “And this is what you want? I’ve no doubt that you would be a positive influence on Loki, but can you spend your days, married to a man who will be incarcerated for a long time?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “It is what I want.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Why not just call off the wedding to Gunnar?” Frigga asked.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I can’t...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Gunnar is up to something isn’t he? What is it?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Frigga... I can’t, I shouldn’t be telling you this,” Ingrid’s voice was a whisper now.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Go to Sif’s, take your dress and carry on as if everything is normal. I will be back in the morning, you and Loki have my blessing, although it’s probably best to keep it from Odin and Thor for a bit, I’m afraid they’re both still a little stubborn where Loki is concerned.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Wait, Frigga, what are you going to do?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Don’t you worry about that,” she gave a twinkling smile as she left Helga’s.</span>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Ingrid gathered everything up and dashed off to Sif’s </span>
  <span>house, it </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> far from the palace. She banged on Sif’s door until </span>
  <span>it opened.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ingrid</span>
  <span>, what are you doing here</span>
  <span>, was I not to meet you at the palace?</span>
  <span>” she asked, her face </span>
  <span>looked as if Ingrid were </span>
  <span>a bad smell</span>
  <span> at her door.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Frigga has had to deal with something, unexpectedly. She told me to come straight to you.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid and Sif had never </span>
  <span>been particularly </span>
  <span>close and Sif had become </span>
  <span>increasingly closed off and bitter after Thor had fallen for Jane Foster. </span>
  <span>She’d</span>
  
  <span>been fond of Thor for a while and Thor seemed truly ignorant to her affections, it was typical of him. </span>
  <span>Ingrid </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> have anything against Jane but Thor’s </span>
  <span>blindness where Sif was </span>
  <span>concerned, </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> helped the situation. Sif was still a perfectly competent warrior, </span>
  <span>far more powerful than Ingrid could ever hope to be, </span>
  <span>she was </span>
  <span>an </span>
  <span>inspiration.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I</span>
  <span>’m afraid I'm not good at these things,” Sif said once </span>
  <span>Ingrid was inside.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “What things?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Gir</span>
  <span>l things, weddings and all that. I won't be </span>
  <span>very good</span>
  <span> company.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Oh, neither am I, </span>
  <span>I'm at a bit of a loss.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>It was all </span>
  <span>a bit... </span>
  <span>rushed, wasn’t it?</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid snapped her head up at Sif’s </span>
  <span>question, “I</span>
  <span>... well, I guess it was yeah.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Don't get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with that, </span>
  <span>I </span>
  <span>had only just heard about you and Gunnar,</span>
  <span> then your wedding was announced. Truth be told, I always thought </span>
  <span>you’d</span>
  <span> end up with Loki,” she </span>
  <span>laughed, “</span>
  <span>I mean, before </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>went on his little power trip rampage. </span>
  <span>He's</span>
  <span> always </span>
  <span>been a </span>
  <span>little strange that one, </span>
  <span>fancy </span>
  <span>trying to take over </span>
  <span>Midgard. Then </span>
  <span>of course we all heard about </span>
  <span>his secret, </span>
  <span>no wonder he went mad, </span>
  <span>all those years he spent never fitting in.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid sat quietly, listening to Sif ramble on, of course Sif </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> know the impact her words were having on Ingrid. Sif, like all the others, </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> know Loki like she did. They </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> sat with him as he studied, watching his face as he silently absorbed information. They </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> sparred with him and </span>
  <span>marvelled</span>
  <span> at his swiftness, nor had they simply relaxed with him, talking about the universe and all its wonders. They only remembered his wrongdoings, his pranks, his misguided attempts to become something more.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Ingrid?” Sif snapped her fingers in front of Ingrid’s face.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’m sorry, did you say something?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I asked if you would like something to drink?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Do you have anything strong?” Ingrid asked, feeling the need for </span>
  <span>something to calm her nerves.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Do I have anything strong?” Sif replied, pulling a bottle from a </span>
  <span>cabinet, “I usually save this for when someone has pissed me off, but I’m willing to part with a few glasses in the name of love</span>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid gave her a weak smile, Sif meant well, but she </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> helping. After two glasses of the strong alcohol, Ingrid was saved from listening to Sif’s drunken tales of </span>
  <span>woe</span>
  <span>, by Frigga knocking on the door. She seemed </span>
  <span>flustered</span>
  <span> but in good spirits as she carried a large fabric box, and Ingrid wondered what </span>
  <span>she’d</span>
  <span> been up to.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Have you ladies been drinking? Tut, </span>
  <span>that’s</span>
  <span> enough of that, </span>
  <span>you’ll</span>
  <span> need a clear head in the morning. Ingrid, go bathe, Sif, you can lay out the items in this box if you don’t mind.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid felt her heart sink a little, the wedding was still going ahead. Frigga followed her to the bathroom and once they were inside, she pushed the door closed and leant against it.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You’re not going to be in here when I wash, are you?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Oh, goodness no. I have something to tell you,” Frigga said </span>
  <span>excitedly</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You do?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You won’t be marrying Gunnar tomorrow, not if everything goes to plan anyway.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’m sorry, you said I </span>
  <em>
    <span>won’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>be marrying him?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Absolutely not, I won’t let you marry that horrible man, I know everything.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Everything?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Yes, everything.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Then you know that we mustn't be talking like this, he has someone watching me.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Oh, I know that too and that won’t be a problem anymore, right now all they can see is an empty room, they won’t realise I’ve blocked them, so I’ll be quick,” Frigga grinned.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “When </span>
  <span>you’re</span>
  <span> done in here, I’ll meet you in Sif’s guest room. You are getting married tonight, to Loki and I will bear witness to it. </span>
  <span>So</span>
  <span> hurry,” she flashed a huge smile at </span>
  <span>Ingrid</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>it</span>
  <span> warmed her inside.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She suddenly felt very giddy, hardly taking time to process what Frigga had told her, or even to ask her how she knew and what her plan was.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> marrying Loki tonight.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. The wedding</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“So</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> if I </span>
  <span>wear the dress when I’m sleeping, I’ll be wearing </span>
  <span>it when I project?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>That’s</span>
  <span> how it works, </span>
  <span>when you project, it’s a mental image of yourself</span>
  <span>. Of course</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> you could imagine anything when you project, but it’s easier to do it this way.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>I definitely need to resume my lessons with you, </span>
  <span>half the things I do are accidental,” Ingrid chuckled.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>I have so much to teach you,” Frigga replied as she finished braiding Ingrid’s hair. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid took a shaky </span>
  <span>breath, she had no real reason to be nervous, </span>
  <span>she’d</span>
  <span> known </span>
  <span>Loki for so long, it was just a little different this time. </span>
  <span>She could see all their </span>
  <span>previous</span>
  <span> interactions in a different </span>
  <span>light, </span>
  <span>now that</span>
  <span> a thread of love was woven </span>
  <span>into their pasts and their futures. </span>
  <span>She wished that the whole of Asgard could bear witness to their union, so that they could see he was not who they thought he </span>
  <span>was. </span>
  <span>Asgardians were </span>
  <span>glory </span>
  <span>oriented and Loki would do anything to have them look at him the way they looked at Thor, having them fear him was a close </span>
  <span>second.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Frigga, did </span>
  <span>you </span>
  <span>ever think that Loki would</span>
  <span> go to such lengths to prove himself worthy?</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Frigga hummed as she </span>
  <span>fastened an arm ring around Ingrid’s upper arm, “</span>
  <span>I knew his life would be hard, sometimes I think it would have been better if he’d never learned the truth, </span>
  <span>but even before he found out about his heritage, deep down he </span>
  <span>felt different.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  
  <span>“I think his difference is what makes him who he is,” Ingrid </span>
  <span>said.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Oh, but of course. Getting him to see that is an entirely different matter.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “But... You and I, we know what </span>
  <span>it’s</span>
  <span> like to be different, </span>
  <span>I chose to serve Asgard after they conquered Vanaheim, and you were plucked from your home on Midgard. Nobody ever asked us if it’s what we </span>
  <span>wanted and yet here we </span>
  <span>are, both of us have better lives but Vanaheim didn’t ask to be conquered and you didn’t ask to be taken.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I would have died of Odin hadn’t taken me, </span>
  <span>I’m grateful for that, but I see your </span>
  <span>point.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You have struggled and battled to be an </span>
  <span>equal here, just as I once fought to be accepted. The Asgardians </span>
  <span>weren’t</span>
  <span> always fond of the Vanir, there were some that threatened to </span>
  <span>usurp</span>
  <span> Odin for taking me as his </span>
  <span>bride. </span>
  <span>But Odin knew that I was a key to uniting our realms,</span>
  <span> just as he knew that taking that abandoned Jötunn child could be key to securing peace with Jötunnheim.</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “But did he love Loki? </span>
  <span>As a father would love his own flesh and blood?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>I believe he does love Loki, still. But I know that the truth is that Loki </span>
  <span>can’t</span>
  <span> hold a candle to </span>
  <span>Thor in Odin’s eyes. It was different for me, when Odin brought Loki back, </span>
  <span>I was overcome with the urge to love and protect him. I saw myself in him</span>
  <span>, just as I see myself in you, not born of Asgard </span>
  <span>but </span>
  <span>you both have Asgardian spirit inside you.</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I have been given a good life, </span>
  <span>so was Loki. If only he </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> feel like he had something to prove, he might find peace.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Frigga held the dress up for Ingrid, it was beautifully simple, the </span>
  <span>seamstress</span>
  <span> had done a wonderful job. </span>
  <span>The swirling golden pattern</span>
  <span> caught the warm light of the room, the dress was floor length and slightly floaty. It fastened round her neck with a heavy gold choker, and around the waist was a golden </span>
  <span>sash</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Frigga, it’s too </span>
  <span>beautiful... “</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I had a little input into the making of it,” Frigga winked.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid teared up a little, </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>I don't know what I’d do without you, you’ve been like a mother to me all these years.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>And I love you as if you were my own daughter, I swear that I'll see the two of you </span>
  <span>married in the great hall for all to </span>
  <span>see. You should get </span>
  <span>the wedding you deserve.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I think it'll be a long time before Loki is forgiven for his crimes, if ever.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Once Odin knows that he wasn’t in control</span>
  <span>, I’m sure he’ll ease up, Loki is many things, but truly evil he is not</span>
  <span>, I know my son.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Frigga helped her into the dress and then retrieved one final </span>
  <span>item from the box she had brought with her, a triquetra knot for her hair. She fixed it carefully above her forehead, taking a step back and sighing with content at the woman before her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You </span>
  <span>look beautiful, Ingrid. Your mother would be so proud to see you like this, just as proud as I am.</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid felt a sting in her chest, her old life had been so long ago, she rarely thought of </span>
  <span>her own mother. </span>
  <span>Beyond paying for a memorial in the spot where </span>
  <span>she’d</span>
  <span> buried the remains of the woman that had sacrificed herself for </span>
  <span>her, and keeping a place in Tønsberg,</span>
  <span> she </span>
  <span>had all but forgotten those days. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Don’t be sad, this is a happy occasion, one that I am proud to witness, your mother watches over you from the stars.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’m certain that she’s grateful to the people that gave me the chance to be something better, she gave her life to ensure that I lived a good one and that’s what you have given me.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Shall we do this?” Frigga held out her hand to Ingrid.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Does Heimdall know?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Unfortunately, no. I couldn’t tell him, not yet, he has enough to deal with.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “But he thinks he’s attending a wedding tomorrow. He doesn’t know that I won’t be in the palace,” Ingrid paced with panic.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ingrid, calm down, we have everything handled. All you need to do now is relax and marry my son.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I don’t know what you know, and I don’t know what you have planned, but I trust you.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid lied down on the bed and Frigga positioned herself by Ingrid’s side, “Are you ready?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “With you by my side, I’m ready for anything,” Ingrid smiled.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She felt the sinking feeling that </span>
  <span>accompanied</span>
  <span> astral projection, it felt as if the bed had become a pile of feathers. It was easier than the last time </span>
  <span>she’d</span>
  
  <span>attempted</span>
  <span> it, requiring less focus, she could draw energy from around her </span>
  <span>almost effortlessly</span>
  <span>. She </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> in control of her destination, though Frigga seemed to know where they were headed, leading Ingrid by the hand towards the palace. They weaved their way through the oblivious people walking the streets, unseen and unheard.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “We’re going to the palace?” Ingrid asked the older woman.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I insisted upon it, you might not get to have the ceremony you deserve but I’ll be damned if you’re not wed in the great hall of </span>
  <span>Valaskjalf.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Thank you, Frigga... for what you’ve done for me.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “And thank you, for not giving up on my son,” Frigga replied.</span>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>When they arrived at the great hall, Loki was already stood at the far end, waiting for her. He wore his finest, the same outfit he had worn for Thor’s abandoned coronation. Glorious in all green and gold, his helmet and cape completed his ensemble. He removed his helmet as she got closer, his lips parted in astonishment.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Wow... I... wow,” he stuttered.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid blushed, “Such a way with words, Loki.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You look beautiful, truly.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “And </span>
  <span>so</span>
  <span> do you.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They stood silently for a moment, looking into each other's eyes before Frigga cleared her throat </span>
  <span>in an effort to</span>
  <span> move them along.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Hello to you too mother,” Loki grinned.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Shall we?” Frigga asked them both as she ascended the stairs to the podium.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki held her hand as they both turned to face Frigga, who stood before them with a look of pride.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Loki, before we go any further, I need to know... is it the magic that is making us feel like this. The connection we have made?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ingrid, </span>
  <span>I believe we</span>
  <span> were connected way before that. I know that I love you, that I have always loved you, there is nothing false about this,” he gripped her hand tighter for a second.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Are we ready to proceed? Who would like to go first?” Frigga asked.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I will,” Ingrid said.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly feeling incredibly nervous at her lack of vows, she was going to have to think on her feet.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Loki, I wish I were better at this, at expressing myself. So, I hope </span>
  <span>you’ll</span>
  <span> forgive my lack of </span>
  <span>eloquence</span>
  <span>. Since I arrived on Asgard, a scared child, there has been one constant in my life... you. Despite all the tricks you played on me, you were always there, even if you were pretending that you </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> want to be. You let me in when you drove others away, you protected me and did a bad job of hiding it, you helped me find my feet and I </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> have to try and be someone I </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> when I was with you. </span>
  <span>Whatever you </span>
  <span>have to</span>
  <span> face in your life, I want to face it with you</span>
  <span>, you are my world Loki.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Frigga turned to Loki, </span>
  <span>whose</span>
  <span> face was impossible to read as always, and waited for him to speak.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>My dear Ingrid, I have never been one for sentiment and </span>
  <span>there are few people in this universe that I </span>
  <span>truly love</span>
  <span>. I have made many mistakes bin my life and I almost made one </span>
  <span>more, if I had not overcome my stubbornness, you would not be before me now. </span>
  <span>I wish to start making things right, </span>
  <span>and if I am ever able, I wish to make a life with you.</span>
  <span> I hope that you can be patient</span>
  <span> enough to wait for </span>
  <span>me.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Of course,</span>
  <span> I will wait for you.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Frigga </span>
  <span>spoke next, </span>
  <span>“u</span>
  <span>nfortunately</span>
  <span>, you have no rings to exchange, I will rectify that as soon as I am able, if you trust me to </span>
  <span>choose wisely.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Of course, mother</span>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid just nodded, her stomach still felt like it was fluttering.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Then it is my honour to proclaim you to be husband and wife.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki placed a light kiss on Ingrid’s lips, her heart flipped in </span>
  <span>response.</span>
  <span> They could wait until Frigga was gone to </span>
  <span>give into their building passion.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I am sorry that this is the best I can do for you </span>
  <span>both but know that this as much as real marriage as if you were both here in front of the people of Asgard. I shall leave the two of you to enjoy some privacy now. Ingrid, I shall come for you in the morning, wait for me.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I will, thank </span>
  <span>you.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The projection of Frigga faded away before them</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>Loki’s face changed the second she was </span>
  <span>gone, there was no trouble reading his feelings now.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “My wife,</span>
  <span>” he said as he pulled her in </span>
  <span>close.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “My husband,” she replied before he </span>
  <span>kissed her again, harder this time, urgently.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “For the record, I had something completely different in mind, but someone told my mother what we were doing,” Loki said after he had pulled away.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I know, I am sorry, everything just... came out.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “She told me, you told her about Gunnar too.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Well, she figured that out herself, she’s never trusted him. She won’t tell me what she’s planning though, I’m kind of in the dark, I have no idea what will happen tomorrow.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “At least we have another person on our side, did you manage to get to the ravens?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I did, it worked. So, </span>
  <span>let’s</span>
  <span> hope they get us the info we need.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki tightened his arms around her reassuringly, they may have only been projections of their physical </span>
  <span>forms,</span>
  <span> but she enjoyed being able to feel him like this, to be close to him.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “So, where does my wife want to spend her wedding night? The universe is yours,” Loki asked, his eyes wide as he raised his eyebrows at her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I have a place in mind,” she answered, pulling him with her as she floated away from Asgard, through the stars and towards earth at lightning speed.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Midgard?” Loki asked her, smirking.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Yes, my cabin in </span>
  <span>Tønsberg, away from all the craziness</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>back to the place it all began.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’m happy to be anywhere you are.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid still </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> gotten used to this side of Loki, hearing him </span>
  <span>open up</span>
  <span> and thinking about someone other than himself. It </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> that </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> never shown that he cared, he just always went to great lengths to hide it.</span>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>They approached her cabin, it </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> huge, but it was enough for her. Its exterior was all wood, large floor to ceiling windows and a spacious balcony on the second floor. It overlooked the fjord, and everything was coated in a light layer of snow. They passed through the wall into the </span>
  <span>cosy</span>
  <span> living room, and Ingrid watched as Loki looked around.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “It’s nice, very homey,” he told her, a look of satisfaction on his face.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “It isn’t much, but I like to spend time here occasionally, I feel... connected here.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “If you love it, I love it.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’ll bring you here for real when you’re able.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’d like that very much... now, may I take you to bed?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid felt herself go weak, “Yes, you may.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The two newly married lovers entered the bedroom and neither one left until dawn arrived on Asgard.</span>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Chapter 28</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ingrid tried to open her eyes, nothing. A panic swept over her as she realised, she couldn’t move anything, her arms and her legs felt like they were weighted down, she couldn’t raise her head from her pillow. Aware of a presence in the room with her, the panic deepened, she tried to call out to the unseen intruders whose whispers she could hear.</p><p>  “I think she’s awake.”</p><p>  “It doesn’t matter, she can’t see us, she can’t move.”</p><p>  “Are you sure? I’m not dying for Gunnar’s obsessions.”</p><p>  “Will you shut up! Just grab her legs, I’ll grab her arms. The mage will get us out of here.”</p><p>  “Why doesn’t he just come here himself?”</p><p>  “I don’t know, stop asking questions!”</p><p>Ingrid tried as hard as she could to force a scream out, but she was powerless. She felt the intruders lift her from the bed, not even a twitch as she attempted to thrash about in their arms. The air whooshed around her and she felt like she was being stretched out like putty, the sensation ended with a pop and she became aware of a cool breeze on her face, birdsong in her ears.</p><p>  “Good job you two,” she knew that voice.</p><p>
  <em>Fucking Gunnar!</em>
</p><p>  “I still don’t know why the mage couldn’t get her himself, what if we’d been seen?” one of her kidnappers said.</p><p>  “I didn’t want to risk it, if it failed,” Gunnar answered.</p><p>  “Well, that’s nice, we’re risking a lot for you. All because you’ve gone all weak in the knee over some Midgardian girl.”</p><p>Ingrid heard the sound of a fist connecting with a face, she could figure out that Gunnar had punched his lackey for speaking like that.</p><p>  “It’s not like that, you imbecile. I want her to suffer, she belongs to that snake, Loki. He’ll feel what it’s like to have someone you love ripped away,” Gunnar hissed.</p><p>  “Now what?” one of her abductors asked.</p><p>  “Now... I get off Asgard,” he hovered over her “Did you think you were one step ahead of me, Ingrid? Did you think that Frigga could save you?”</p><p>A whimper finally escaped her lips, signalling to Gunnar that she was fully conscious.</p><p>  “I'm glad you can hear me, it’s a shame I had to abandon the wedding, you do look lovely in that dress. Did you marry that snake in secret?” he snorted before continuing, “It’s a shame you won’t see him again, Loki’s little whore.”</p><p>  “We better hurry, Gunnar. They’ll have noticed she’s missing by now.”</p><p>  “Yes, right... I can torment her all I want when we’re away from here.”</p><p>That same feeling of being stretched out washed over her again and her head swam with an unpleasant sensation, before it ended with a pop again.</p><p>  “Can you suppress her magic, weaken her?” Gunnar asked the mage.</p><p>  “Have I let you down thus far?”</p><p>  “You haven’t and I owe you a great debt.”</p><p>  “Which you will pay in time,” the mage replied with a sinister tone.</p><p>  “Ok, unbind her and leave us.”</p><p>  “As you wish,” the mage answered.</p><p>Ingrid was able to open her eyes in time to witness the cloaked figure of the mage vanish, leaving herself, Gunnar and his two supporters. She took in her surroundings; they were deep into a swamp like forest. Tall, dark trees drooped low into murky water, the air had a stagnant quality to it, musty and heavy. She wrinkled her nose in distaste at the bleak environment.</p><p>She stood up and faced the man that had taken her, “What have you done?!”</p><p>  “Taken matters into my own hands, truth is, the noose was tightening, I knew you had Frigga and Loki to help you.”</p><p>  “So why didn’t you just kill Loki like you threatened to. It was obvious that I wasn’t going to marry you. That was the deal wasn’t it? Marry you or Loki dies?”</p><p>  “Why would I kill him, I want him to hurt, I want you to hurt for siding with him and his kin.”</p><p>Ingrid bristled at his words, she loathed him intensely, the man that had feigned kindness in order to get close to her.</p><p>  “Don’t think that you’re safe, they’ll find me, you’ll spend the rest of your life in a cell.”</p><p>  “I don’t think so, we’re hidden from all those who might be able to find you, you’re mine now. I have the mage on my side.”</p><p>  “And what exactly is he expecting you to pay with?”</p><p>  “My life... but not before I’ve had my fun with you. Then I’ll go back to Asgard and kill Loki and that bitch Frigga.”</p><p>  “You’re fucking insane!”</p><p>  “You know, I loved you once. Over time it became clear that you would never love me, not willingly anyway. So, I’ll settle for making you obey me.”</p><p>  “I won’t ever obey you,” Ingrid spat.</p><p>  “We’ll see,” Gunnar replied as he grabbed her by the arm and led her away.</p><hr/><p>Across the stars, back on Asgard, Frigga awoke suddenly. Her chest felt empty, she knew something was wrong. Even as she ascended the stairs to Ingrid’s room, she knew what she’d find.</p><p>  “Ingrid!” she gasped, staring at the empty bed.</p><p>She ran into Sif’s room where the warrior lay, snoring softly. Frigga reached out a hand to shake the sleeping woman, it did not take much to wake her. Sif bolted upright and swept the hair from her face.</p><p>  “Wha sup?” she mumbled.</p><p>  “Ingrid is gone,” Frigga answered.</p><p>  “Gone where?” Sif asked, more alert now.</p><p>  “I don’t know, I think she’s been taken.”</p><p>  “What! Who would take her?”</p><p>  “There’s a few things I need to fill you in on, fetch Heimdall and meet me in the palace, I need to get Odin and Thor.”</p><p>Frigga left in a rush, leaving Sif to rub at her head in confusion, but she did as she was told, dressing herself before running to where Heimdall would be.</p><hr/><p>  “Slow down,” Thor boomed in his parent's chambers, “You said she’s gone? She’s left again?”</p><p>  “No, I believe she’s been taken... by Gunnar,” Frigga spoke as slowly as she could, realising that no one else knew of what had been happening.</p><p>  “Why would Gunnar take her?” Thor snorted.</p><p>Frigga took some time to recount the details of what she herself had found out the day before and what she suspected before that. Odin and Thor looked as if they were about to burst into flames, Sif still looked as nonplussed as she did when she’d been woken. Heimdall was the hardest to read, he looked, as always, like he was looking beyond all of them.</p><p>  “I cannot see her,” he said quietly.</p><p>All eyes turned to him, “The truth is, I haven’t been able to see her for days now, I thought she was hiding herself from me... I thought she was angry with me.”</p><p>  “Since when could Ingrid do magic and what does Loki have to do with all this?” Thor spoke again.</p><p>  “Well, she loves him, and he loves her, and... well... they’re married,” Frigga explained sheepishly.</p><p>Odin finally looking more composed, spoke up and everyone listened.</p><p>  “Frigga, we will discuss this later. It seems that there has been much that I have been unaware of. The priority is to retrieve Ingrid safely, then we will deal with Gunnar and whoever has aided him. And I suppose someone should tell Loki.”</p><p>  “You think that wise father?”</p><p>  “I will have no more deception here today, go and inform your brother, the rest of you can start to figure out our next move,” Odin’s face was stony as he spoke, and no one dared question him any further.</p><hr/><p>Thor left immediately to go to the dungeons and tell his brother what had happened, whilst still trying to wrap his head around it himself. He hadn’t spoken to Loki since he’d brought him back from Earth to face judgement here on Asgard. What could possibly have happened in the short time he had been back, that had led to him secretly marrying Ingrid? Had Ingrid lost her mind? He descended the stairs to the cells and strode to his brother’s end cell. Loki sat on his bed, holding a book in his hand, his brow wrinkled in thought as he studied the pages.</p><p>  “Thor, I thought you’d never come,” he drawled without looking up.</p><p>  “I didn’t come of my own volition, our father sent me.”</p><p>  “Oh?” Loki looked up, closing the book.</p><p>  “I have some news... Ingrid has been taken.”</p><p>Loki’s expression changed swiftly from mild amusement to anger, his eyes flashed, and he jumped up from his bed and got right up to the energy field that separated him from Thor.</p><p>  “Taken where?” he hissed through gritted teeth.</p><p>  “We don’t know.”</p><p>  “Was it Gunnar?”</p><p>  “We believe so.”</p><p>  “SON OF A BITCH! I’LL KILL HIM,” Loki smashed his fist against the barrier making it shimmer and crackle.</p><p>  “Loki, stay calm, we’re going to figure out a way to find her.”</p><p>  “Don’t you tell me to stay calm, get me out of this cell, Thor... GET ME OUT!” Loki raged in his cell.</p><p>  “Father would never allow it, Loki, you know that.”</p><p>  “I don’t care, you tell him to come here and release me, I will find her and then I will come back and serve my sentence, all nice and compliant like Odin wants.”</p><p>  “I don’t think he’ll listen.”</p><p>  “Just get him here,” Loki spun around and paced in his cell.</p><p>  “GOOOO!” he yelled when Thor hadn’t moved.</p><p>Thor nodded and ran back to Odin and the others; he knew his father wasn’t going to like Loki’s request. He’d never seen Loki so panicked before, maybe he did really love Ingrid, maybe there really was a lot he wasn’t seeing.</p><hr/><p>Back in Odin’s chambers, everyone was speaking in hurried hushed tones. Thor cleared his throat to announce his return.</p><p>  “Thor, we’ve sent Sif to question the Einherjar that were close to Gunnar. Heimdall will continue to watch for anything that might help. What of Loki?” Frigga brought him back up to speed.</p><p>He turned to Odin, “He calls for you father.”</p><p>  “Have you informed him of what has happened?” Odin replied.</p><p>  “Yes, and he’s furious, he will not rest until you have seen him... he wants to be released to help.”</p><p>  “Out of the question!” Odin growled.</p><p>  “My love, we need all the help we can get,” Frigga cut in.</p><p>  “You would see a war criminal released?” Odin asked.</p><p>  “Father, he says he will come back to the cells when Ingrid is safe,” Thor added.</p><p>  “And when has your brother ever been truly honest?”</p><p>  “When he made his vows to Ingrid. He truly loves her and who better to help than the man who has her heart,” Frigga said.</p><p>  “We can keep him under close watch and we can subdue his magic,” Thor agreed.</p><p>Odin pondered their request silently, unsure of whether he should place his trust in the man he had sent to live out his days in the dungeons.</p><p>  “What you ask of me, could have dire consequences if Loki decides not to keep his word,” he told them.</p><p>  “We understand and we take full responsibility, I’m not happy about it myself but he could help and I believe he would help for the sake of the one he loves,” Thor told his father.</p><p>  “So be it, I will visit Loki and I will discuss the terms with him, if I am satisfied... then he may help.”</p><p>  “Allfather, Sif has managed to apprehend two people who may know of Gunnar’s plan,” Heimdall spoke up from his place by the window.</p><p>  “Thor, you go and help Sif, I will see Loki. Frigga, wait here, I’ll need you if I return with our son.”</p><p>Frigga sat at the foot of the bed, she gave a small wave to Thor as he left the room. Odin followed right after, giving his wife a weak smile as he walked out.</p><hr/><p>The prisoners in the dungeons stood and stared at Odin as he passed them, but he paid then no attention, he was there for only one person.</p><p>  “Hello father.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Chapter 29</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Whatever the mage had done to Ingrid to make her feel so weak, </span>
  <span>had left her with </span>
  <span>little energy to walk. Gunnar </span>
  <span>would drag her hard, his fingers </span>
  <span>almost tearing into her skin, </span>
  <span>she would </span>
  <span>wince each time and stumble as she tried to match Gunnar’s </span>
  <span>speed. </span>
  <span>Her bare feet ached as </span>
  <span>they plunged in and out of the </span>
  <span>water-logged</span>
  
  <span>forest floor.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>She had little doubt as to how Gunnar knew of her magic, </span>
  <span>the mage that currently served him could </span>
  <span>likely feel</span>
  <span> it in her. </span>
  <span>All this time </span>
  <span>she’d</span>
  <span> thought he was in the dark, but it was clear he knew a lot more than </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  
  <span>let on</span>
  <span>. She ground her teeth in frustration, </span>
  <span>she </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> getting out of this anytime soon, Gunnar was flanked by his two loyal </span>
  <span>thugs</span>
  <span> and she had no hope of taking them on, not in her current state.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>They </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> walk far, fifteen minutes through the swamp, yet she felt like </span>
  <span>she’d</span>
  <span> climbed a mountain</span>
  <span>, her entire body ached and she yearned for something to eat and drink. </span>
  <span>Her stomach gave a loud </span>
  <span>rumble.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Hungry</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> are you? </span>
  <span>We’re here now anyway,” Gunnar said as a </span>
  <span>stilted</span>
  <span> hut came into view.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The hut looked like it had been </span>
  <span>empty</span>
  <span> for a while, long branches and vines curled around it, as if the trees were trying to reclaim it.</span>
  <span> The stilts supporting it, disappeared into the dark water, the hut itself seemed to lean to one side slightly. It was not a place that looked inviting, it was not a place that beckoned her in to rest her aching limbs, it was as dull and </span>
  <span>dank</span>
  <span> as the rest of the swamp.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gunnar hauled her up the unstable wooden steps and through the decaying door, pushing her into a damp corner of the room.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “It’s not quite the home we would have had on Asgard, but we’ll make it work,” Gunnar sniggered, and his two shadows laughed.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Shut up and go get some firewood,” he said to them.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Why do we have to get it?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “You want to eat, don’t you?” Gunnar asked them.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>They left the hut leaving Ingrid alone with Gunnar, in truth she wanted to break down, she examined the filthy edge of her dress, rubbing at the dirt with her finger. Only a few hours ago </span>
  <span>she’d</span>
  <span> been lying in Loki’s arms, pondering their future together. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Oh dear, your beautiful dress is ruined,” Gunnar remarked as he lit a lamp </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> retrieved from his pack.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ingrid </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> look up or acknowledge him at all, she </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> want to see his face. She must have hit a nerve because he crossed the room, grabbed her </span>
  <span>face</span>
  <span> and forced her to look up at him. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “You won’t ignore me again, not if you want to eat... Is that clear?” he asked, almost nose to nose with her.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ingrid spat in his face in response and Gunnar roared with rage, swinging his hand against her head. She rebounded </span>
  <span>off the wall</span>
  <span> of the hut and collapsed in a heap on the floor, the last thing she remembered before she passed out was the </span>
  <span>muffled</span>
  <span> voice of Gunnar, the ringing in her ears distorting his voice.</span>
  
</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>  “Hello father,” Loki said with a solemn expression.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “My son, I have been informed that you wish to help find Ingrid?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “I don’t wish to help, I can help... I can find her.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Why should I trust you? You are in these cells for serious crimes, I fear you may seize the opportunity to flee Asgard.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “You have my word that I will return.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Your word? The word of a trickster is not worth much at all,” Odin sneered.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Don’t be a fool! The longer we spend arguing how much my word is worth, the less chance we have of finding her. Free me while my bond to her is still strong,” Loki pleaded.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Yes, I’ve heard about your secret wedding to her. Frigga and Thor both vouch for you and I believe that I can trust them. They have vowed to take responsibility for your actions, don’t let them down.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Loki raised one eyebrow, he fully expected his mother to stand up for him, but he </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> think that Thor would have. In any other situation, Odin would be right to suspect him of foul play, but where Ingrid was concerned, Loki had no intention of breaking his word.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Shall we do this?” Loki asked, not letting his face betray his thoughts.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Odin reluctantly released his </span>
  <span>duplicitous</span>
  <span> adopted son, eyeing him as he left the cell.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “You shall wear these,” Odin said, producing a pair of handcuffs.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “I hardly think that handcuffs would stop me if I wanted to leave.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “They will restrict your </span>
  <span>magic,</span>
  <span> we are not the fools you think we are.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Loki held out his hands, “Then do what you must, I don’t care.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Odin fastened the cuffs around Loki’s wrists, they whirred as they tightened themselves. Loki walked ahead of Odin, drawing energy from Asgard to strengthen his magic, He might not be able to use it to escape but he could use it to find Ingrid and that was all that mattered right now.</span>
  
</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>  “Wake up, princess,” one of </span>
  <span>Gunnar's</span>
  
  <span>thugs</span>
  <span> said in a mocking tone as he shook Ingrid hard.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her head pounded as she opened her eyes, she </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> projected while </span>
  <span>she’d</span>
  <span> been unconscious, so her magic really was useless right now. She knew that someone would come for her though, she had no doubt, she just </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> know how long it would take.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Gunnar said for you to put these on,” he said, throwing a ragged tunic and pants at her.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>She looked at him, holding the garments in her hand, waiting for him to leave so she could change.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Oh, he didn’t say to leave you alone, I’m to keep an eye on you</span>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Well then, could you at least turn around?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Oh of course, princess,” he said, laughing and bowing.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>She stripped and dressed herself in the grey tunic, the feel of them </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> unpleasant, they were warm and dry at least. She passed her hand over the fabric of her dress and bit back a sob, it was ruined.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Gunnar says you’re to throw that on the fire, save using the wood.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ingrid complied, </span>
  <span>flaring</span>
  <span> her nostrils at the dumb looking </span>
  <span>stooge</span>
  <span> as she flung her dress onto the fire. She watched as the material caught fire, the gorgeous green and gold turning black as it was ravaged by flames.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “What is your name?” she asked the man.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Me?... my name is Sten.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Tell me, Sten. Are you willing to die for Gunnar’s foolishness?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “What do you mean?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “When they find me, and they will, do you really think that Gunnar will protect you? Because he </span>
  <span>won’t</span>
  <span>, he’ll throw you onto the blade himself.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Now you listen-” but </span>
  <span>Sten</span>
  <span> was interrupted by Gunnar who was stood in the doorway.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Trying to poison the mind of my faithful man?” Gunnar said.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Just telling him the truth, you won’t do a thing for him when you’re cornered,” Ingrid replied.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Seems you’ve got a few things to learn about loyalty, Ingrid. My men serve me well and I will return that loyalty when the time comes.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Like hell you will,” she said under her breath.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gunnar threw a bloodied furry object at her, “Me and my men are hungry, I suggest you get cooking.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “How long do you think you’ll be able to hide here?” she asked him as she picked up the animal carcass.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Who said I was planning on staying here?” he laughed as he left the hut with Sten.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ingrid seethed, if someone was coming to get her, they better be quick about it.</span>
  
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Did you all miss me,” Loki announced as he entered the chambers.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Frigga jumped up from where she sat and then promptly seated herself again, as though she was going to rush to hug her son and then decided against it.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “This is no game Loki,” Thor glared.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “No it’s not, it was simply a question.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Loki looked over to Sif who stood in the corner of the room with two scared looking guards.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Who are they?” Loki asked.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “A couple of people known to associate with Gunnar,” Frigga answered.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Loki lunged at them, </span>
  <span>sneering</span>
  <span>. The guards jumped back as close to the wall as they could get.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Don’t worry boys, I have been rendered... impotent,” he smiled, holding up his cuffed wrists.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “They tell me that Gunnar had been disaffected for quite some time, he seemed to hold a strong grudge against Loki,” Sif spoke.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Why am I not surprised,” Thor added.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “His brother died when the frost giants got into the relic room,” Odin said.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “In fact, he seems to have developed a hatred of magic users in general, including Frigga. Proclaiming them to be not of this world. The other guards made allowances because of his grief, however as time went on, they realised that he was going too far, these two broke away from him. Gunnar still has two loyal supporters, </span>
  <span>Sten</span>
  <span> and Erik,” Sif continued.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “And no one thought that bringing it to my attention was important?” Odin asked.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Allfather, forgive us, we thought they were just the ramblings of a man consumed by grief. He changed when he met Ingrid, he was happier, he wasn’t saying those things anymore,” one of the guards spoke up.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Grief can drive a man to do unpleasant things,” Odin replied.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Loki looked down at his feet briefly, no one </span>
  <span>seemed to notice</span>
  
  <span>the lapse in his usually </span>
  <span>stoic </span>
  <span>expression, or so he thought. Thor </span>
  <span>caught his brother out of the corner of his eye, </span>
  <span>it was strange to catch Loki letting his guard down like that, </span>
  <span>he had always </span>
  <span>maintained</span>
  <span> his carefully crafted </span>
  <span>façade, everyone knew that </span>
  <span>it was a mask that he wore, but getting to the man beneath the mask was a different matter.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “It is decided, Thor will escort </span>
  <span>Loki, Heimdall will continue to look with help from Frigga. Sif, take those two to the dungeons, they may have more to say.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “As you wish, father,” Thor said, catching Loki </span>
  <span>flapping his mouth </span>
  <span>in an effort to</span>
  <span> mock him.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sif left with the guards, Heimdall never once left his spot, continuously searching the heavens for some sign of Ingrid.</span>
  
  <span>Loki knew it was in vain, but </span>
  <span>the man must have felt helpless, Asgard needed him here as much as he needed to help look for Ingrid.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Come along, Loki,” Thor pushed his brother to the door.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Be safe my boys</span>
  <span>,” Frigga told them as they left.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “We’ll bring her back,” Loki promised.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>”We’re</span>
  <span> traveling by ship?!” Loki scoffed as they approached the </span>
  <span>port.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “If we’re using the Bifrost, how will you know where to go, </span>
  <span>you’re acting on senses alone, that doesn’t narrow it down.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Good point.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Father is letting us use the fastest ship we currently possess,” Thor smiled.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “The one he took from those R</span>
  <span>avagers</span>
  <span>?” </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “The very same.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Can you fly it?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “It can’t be that hard.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Loki rolled his </span>
  <span>eyes,</span>
  <span> his brother </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> the most subtle of people when it came to figuring out how to work things. </span>
  <span>Perhaps Thor</span>
  <span> would let him help, but he doubted it, </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> burned his bridges when he faked his death and attacked Midgard.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Urgh, it smells like a </span>
  <span>Bilgesnipe</span>
  <span> died in here,” Loki exclaimed.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “No, a dead </span>
  <span>Bilgesnipe</span>
  <span> smells much nicer.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Loki ran a finger over the wall of the ship, recoiling at the filth on his fingertip, “I hope this ship is as fast as they say, because I don’t want to be in here any longer than I have to.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “You’ll be back in your comfortable cell before you know it, now focus on Ingrid while I get the ship up and running.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Loki sat himself in the co-pilots chair, he closed his eyes and thought of Ingrid, aching a little at her face in his mind. They </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> even been married a day and he was already facing the possibility of losing her, a slim possibility for he had confidence in his abilities, but a possibility, nonetheless.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “Anything?” Thor asked as he sat at the controls.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  “She’s far, it’s faint but I feel her, we just fly until it gets stronger.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thor started the take-off, it was not the smoothest ride, but Loki knew his brother was trying his best. Once they were in the air and picking up speed, Loki gave Thor a general direction, then he sat back in his chair and diverted all his attention to finding Ingrid.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I will find you.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Back in the hut, deep in the forest swamp, Ingrid felt a </span>
  <span>flutter</span>
  <span> in her chest. It was unlike anything </span>
  <span>she’d</span>
  <span> ever felt before, it was persistent but not painful. She stirred the pot that sat above the fire, and she smiled.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I knew </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>you’d</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> come for me.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Chapter 30</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ingrid swung her hair out of her face, since the mage had supressed her magic, her hair was no longer under her control. She poked at the ashes in the stone fireplace, the tattered remnants of her dress mixed in with the charred wood. There was a piece that caught her eye, relatively untouched by the flames, the green fabric and gold pattern still visible. She lifted it out with the stick she was using to sift through the powdery residue, it was still good, strong enough to tie her hair back out of her face. </p><p>Gunnar had taken her arm ring and headpiece, she had considered throwing them in the flames, but at least if he had them, they would be intact. Sten and the other man she had learned was called Erik, had gone hunting for more food, Gunnar had stayed outside for most of the day, he paced a lot and muttered under his breath. It made her feel good to see him so agitated, she hoped that his plans weren’t going how he wanted them too. </p><p>  “What have you got to smile about?” he asked her. </p><p>Ingrid didn’t let him see that he’d startled her, “I’m just thinking of all the ways I’ll make you pay for this.” </p><p>  “You’re always so confident, aren’t you? So cocky. It’s not very attractive.” </p><p>  “I don’t care what you find attractive.” </p><p>Gunnar reached her in three steps, “I could take you right now and you wouldn’t be able to fight me off.” </p><p>Ingrid took a small step back, but she was against the wall, she wasn’t fast enough to dodge his hands as he grabbed her shoulders and slammed her against the wall. He lunged at her face with his own, his lips violating her own. She did the only thing she could think of in that moment, parting her lips slightly to lure him in and when he deepened the kiss, she bit down on his lower lip until she tasted blood. </p><p>He screamed into her mouth and it gave her great satisfaction to hear it, he jerked his head, trying to pull away. She released him and enjoyed the sight of him dropping to his knees, clutching at his face. She was also a little surprised at being able to inflict enough damage to wound him, he was Asgardian after all, and she didn’t have her usual strength. </p><p>She wiped the blood from her face as he regained him composure, “I will not be taken by you, I am not yours.” </p><p>  “You’re going to regret ever doing that,” he slurred through his bloodied, fat lip. </p><p>Sten and Erik came bursting through the door of the hut, their eyes flicking from Ingrid to Gunnar and back again. They didn’t move, unable to process the scene that greeted them. </p><p>Gunnar took charge, “Don’t just stand there, take her outside and show her how we deal with filthy whores that don’t obey me.” </p><p>The two men didn’t move instantly, she must have looked a sight, Gunnar’s blood smeared across her huge grin. </p><p>  “NOW!” he shouted, dabbing a wet cloth at his swollen lip. </p><p>They grabbed her yet kept a little distance, throwing her down the stairs into the mud below. They laughed as she tried to pick up her mud covered self. </p><p>  “Look, Sten, she’s just like a pig,” Erik shouted, snorting with laughter and making pig noises. Sten began laughing too, pointing at her like she was livestock rolling about in the muck. She had lifted herself to her knees when Erik pushed her back down and swung his foot into her ribcage. Her lungs were devoid of air, she made desperate gasps to suck in a breath, Sten brought his foot down onto her back and her arms buckled, sending her face first into the mud. </p><p>  “Does the little pig enjoy the mud?” Sten said as he rolled her onto her back with his foot. </p><p>Ingrid stared up at the treetops, a small sliver of sky was visible through the branches. Sten stood over her and blocked her view, he was speaking but she wasn’t listening.  </p><p>  “I said, are you enjoying the mud?” </p><p>  “Fuck you,” Ingrid replied. </p><p>Sten swung his hand across her cheek and Erik kicked her in the side again, it lacked the force of his first blow, but it still hurt.   </p><p>  “Squeal you swine,” Erik kicked her repeatedly until she felt herself giving in to the sweet relief of unconsciousness. </p><p>  “Thats enough, bring her back in,” she heard Gunnar call from the hut. </p><p>She longed to close her eyes, to curl up in a soft bed and escape into another world, one where Loki waited for her with open arms. The thought calmed her, gave her a mental strength when her physical power was lacking. That feeling inside of her, when she’d been sat by the fire, she knew it was him, reaching out to her across the stars. </p><p>  “Just lay her in the corner, we need to move again.” </p><p>  “But Gunnar... that wasn’t the plan, it’s too soon,” Erik argued. </p><p>  “I’m not leaving anything to chance, I won’t risk it. The plan will have to be changed.” </p><p>  “But...” </p><p>  “Shut up about the plan, I know what I’m doing. Watch her while I summon the mage.” </p><hr/><p> </p><p>  “It’s definitely getting stronger, what’s the closest system?” </p><p>  “The Achelois system, in the Eusebeia Galaxy,” Thor replied to Loki. </p><p>  “Habitable planets?” </p><p>  “Just the one, Lyra... dense swamp planet.” </p><p>  “Go there, how long?” </p><p>  “An hour to the closest jump point and that will take us to 30 minutes outside of Lyra.” </p><p>  “That’s too long!!” Loki yelled, frustrated. </p><p>  “It gives us chance to talk,” Thor offered. </p><p>  “Talk about what?” </p><p>Loki couldn’t think of anything worse than making small talk with his brother while the stupid ship crawled towards its destination. He scoffed internally at it being described as fast, it was too slow for his liking, every minute that passed was agonising. At least they had the element of surprise, Gunnar wouldn’t be expecting them to find him so soon, he knew nothing of the bond he shared with Ingrid. </p><p>  “So... you’re married?” Thor asked. </p><p>Loki pinched the bridge of his nose, “you want to talk about this now?” </p><p>  “I was just so surprised to hear it,” Thor replied. </p><p>  “Yes, I’m married.” </p><p>  “That’s it? No details?” </p><p>  “What do you want to hear from me, Thor? Do you think that this has softened me somehow? That I’m no longer the man I was before?” </p><p>  “It just seemed sudden.” </p><p>  “I wasn’t about to let her marry that imbecile, he would have hurt her.” </p><p>  “So, you love her?” </p><p>  “What sort of a question is that? Of course I love her.” </p><p>  “And she loves you?” </p><p>Loki sighed loudly; he knew that Thor wasn’t going to let the matter drop. He couldn’t blame him really, he found out a lot in a short space of time and his tiny brain must have been struggling. </p><p>  “She does, despite everything. She shouldn’t, she should hate me like everyone else. After what I did to her.” </p><p>  “You were responsible for her disappearance from Midgard, weren’t you?” </p><p>  “I shouldn’t have dragged her into that. And after it all, she gives herself to me. She makes me feel... whole. Is this how you feel about Jane Foster?” </p><p>  “It is. Congratulations, brother.” </p><p>  “What for?” </p><p>  “You’ve finally found your heart.” </p><p>Loki chastised himself for opening to Thor, this was entirely unlike him, and yet he knew he was no longer the stupid boy that threw himself into the wormhole, full of anger and theatrics. He still had a long way to go before he became the man that everyone thought he could be, fixing the damage would be hard. </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Gunnar had returned to the hut, fists clenched and murmuring something that Ingrid couldn’t make out. </p><p>  “Got a problem, Gunnar?” she slurred. </p><p>  “Do you need another lesson in keeping your mouth shut?” he spat back. </p><p>His lip was still swollen; she could make out her teeth marks on the flesh just under his lower lip. She didn’t speak again, watching him instead, he was visibly agitated. </p><p>  “Did you reach the mage?” Erik asked. </p><p>  “Yes, we have to wait a little longer, but he’s willing to help sooner.” </p><p>  “Then what’s wrong? you seem displeased,” Sten asked. </p><p>  “I just need to get off this planet,” Gunnar replied. </p><p>Ingrid rubbed at the dry mud on her face and clothes, she craved a hot bath and scented soap. Gunnar threw a wet rag at her. </p><p>  “Clean yourself up, you look like shit,” he said. </p><p>There was that feeling again, like her heart was trying to fly out of her chest, what had started as tingle, had grown into a deep, satisfying warmth. It was hard to feel hopeless with the way it filled her. She was so sure it was Loki; it was the only explanation for it. She scrubbed at her face, watching the three men pack up their things as they awaited the mage, they glanced back at her occasionally. </p><p>They had been sat waiting for a while, no one spoke, Sten picked at his nails with the tip of a dagger while Erik was poking idly at a loose floorboard. Gunnar had retreated to a corner, staring out into the room, expressionless. A loud crack broke the silence and Gunnar jumped up and hurried to the door. </p><p>  “Everyone, stay here.” </p><p>Sten pointed his knife at Ingrid as a threat, she had no plans on running, she wouldn’t get far. The door creaked back open, and Gunnar entered, accompanied by the mage. </p><p>  “You ask a lot of me, Gunnar. The price is fair?” </p><p>  “Do what you must,” he answered, his face still showing no emotion. </p><p>Ingrid was just wondering what more Gunnar had to offer when Erik began to gasp, he reached out to a horrified Sten who barely had time to react before he too began to clutch at his chest and flap his mouth. Gunnar didn’t move and Ingrid realised that he was paying with their lives, whatever he had planned, the cost was great. </p><hr/><p> </p><p>  “We’re approaching Lyra now.” </p><p>  “It’s about time,” Loki said. </p><p>He felt her so strongly now that he knew this was the place, she was down there, waiting for him.  </p><p>  “Brother, remove my cuffs, I can teleport down and reach her faster,” he pleaded. </p><p>  “I cannot do that, Loki. You know that.”  </p><p>Loki jumped up from his seat and paced in anger, even as Thor began to land, his impatience was uncontrollable, he hoped that they had landed close enough. The ship had barely touched the ground before he exited the ship and broke into a run with Thor shouting behind him. The swamp was difficult to navigate, tree roots and deep pools of water threatened to topple him, but he pushed forward.</p><p>  “It’s this way brother, hurry,” he called over his shoulder. </p><p>He knew Thor could keep up, so he kept on running, through the murky forest, branches scraping at his face. He’d been running only a few minutes when he saw the hut in the clearing, she was in there. Thor was shouting something, but he couldn’t hear him anymore, his heart pounded and his blood rushed in his ears. </p><p>He flew up the steps leading to the door and threw it open, almost removing it from its frame.  </p><p>  “Ingrid!” he shouted. </p><p>  “Loki,” Ingrid cried as Loki threw himself forward, arms outstretched. </p><p>Gunnar whirled around and grinned wickedly as he and Ingrid vanished. </p><p>  “NO!!” </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Chapter 31</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
  <span>“NO!!</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She was gone, he had been so close to </span>
  <span>her</span>
  <span> and then she was </span>
  <span>gone, he had been too late. </span>
  <span>Loki trembled with rage, </span>
  <span>his fingers dug into his palms </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>he screamed with all his might. </span>
  <span>Thor ran into the hut at the sound of his brother’s rage.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “YOU!</span>
  <span> You did this, I’d have her </span>
  <span>right now if you’d listened to me and removed these </span>
  <span>damned</span>
  <span> things!”</span>
  <span> Loki roared.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Loki calm down, what happened.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I'll calm down when I know she's safe and he's dead. She was right there, Thor, right in front of me. </span>
  <span>He’s got help from a magic </span>
  <span>user,</span>
  
  <span>they could be anywhere.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Can you still feel her?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Yes, but it's weak... We need to move.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Thor cast a glance to the bodies in the corner, “I guess those are </span>
  <span>Gunnar’s friends, </span>
  <span>they look like they've been dead for </span>
  <span>a while.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The withered remains of </span>
  <span>Sten</span>
  <span> and Erik stared back at </span>
  <span>him with empty </span>
  <span>sockets</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>dried up husks </span>
  <span>with open mouths that bared their </span>
  <span>teeth.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “What could have done this?” Thor asked Loki.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Dark magic, </span>
  <span>paid for in blood.” </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It was not Loki that responded and the two men turned to the woman’s voice </span>
  <span>at the door, a voice they both knew very well.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Mother! What are you doing here? How are you here?” </span>
  <span>Loki asked.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I snuck onto your ship, wasn't that obvious?</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Father will be </span>
  <span>furious,” Thor exclaimed.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Oh</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>he’ll be fine, I left him a note. There was not much that I </span>
  <span>could do there. Besides, Heimdall can see us, I asked him to watch.</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Let’s go, times not on our side,” Loki left and started running back to the ship.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Be kind, Thor. He's hurting,” Frigga spoke with a soft tone.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I have a feeling he won’t be the only one when he finds Gunnar.”</span>
  
</p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ingrid </span>
  <span>hit solid floor and vomited, </span>
  <span>that time </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> felt like the others, </span>
  <span>her head was spinning</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “What did you do!” she shouted to Gunnar.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>But Gunnar </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> respond, she turned her head, fighting against the urge to vomit again. He </span>
  <span>lay prone on the stone </span>
  <span>floor, his eyes were closed but his chest rose and fell, he was still alive. She turned her attention to the mage, who looked back at her with a </span>
  <span>straight face. Ingrid </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> sure what to do next, as if he sensed </span>
  <span>her </span>
  <span>trepidation</span>
  <span>, he spoke first.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I wasn’t paid to babysit.</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>This was all she needed as she hauled herself to her feet </span>
  <span>and moved, she </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> know where she </span>
  <span>was, she </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> know what direction to run in, but she ran as much as she could. The Mage’s weakening spell was still in full </span>
  <span>effect, the effort made her feel sick and breathless.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The faces of </span>
  <span>Sten</span>
  <span> and Erik </span>
  <span>flashed in her mind, their gaping mouths as the life left them, the mage had drained them </span>
  <span>until they were just shells. It was </span>
  <span>probably why</span>
  <span> Gunnar had been so on edge, </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> summoned the mage </span>
  <span>and agreed the price, sending his loyal men to their deaths. Though it gave her a little satisfaction</span>
  <span> that they had paid the ultimate price, she was saddened that Gunnar had </span>
  <span>turned people to his way of thinking and let them die for it, just like she said he would.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She shuddered as she realised that he may have offered her up to the mage to defer his own </span>
  <span>payment. He must have been truly twisted to go to such lengths to rid the </span>
  <span>world of Loki, he </span>
  <span>probably thought</span>
  
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> die a hero, </span>
  <span>saving everyone from an insidious threat.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Her legs were threatening to give in as she limped across the flat expanse of grey stone, jagged spires of rock protruded from the ground, they got more </span>
  <span>numerous</span>
  <span> the further she got, until she had to weave in and out of them. Eventually, bits of green started appearing, at first, they were small plants growing on the surface of the rock, appearing in small cracks. As she got deeper into the myriad of rocks, the foliage became larger and lusher, she could feel moss beneath her feet, and it was soothing. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She had slowed down considerably, with no idea of how long </span>
  <span>she’d</span>
  <span> been going. The thought of a small rest was irresistibly overwhelming, and she let her legs give way. Relief washed over her, but there was a nagging thought in the back of her mind that Gunnar was hot on her trail. She </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> know whether to hide or keep moving, her body was screaming at her to stay there and reserve what little energy she had, her brain argued that she should keep going until she found some evidence of civilisation.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Her body won the fight and her eyes closed against her will.</span>
  
</p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>  “Anything,” Thor asked, exasperated.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “It doesn’t help when you keep asking me, it’s just as faint as when we started.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Thor banged his fist onto the </span>
  <span>main console.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Oh yes, destroy the ship, that will help.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Boys, that’s enough</span>
  <span>!” Frigga scolded them as she got up from her seat, she had been projecting herself to nearby planets </span>
  <span>in an effort to</span>
  <span> try and </span>
  <span>locate</span>
  
  <span>Ingrid.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>What about this one?” Thor asked, pointing to a small planet.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “What about it?</span>
  <span>” Loki replied.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “It’s only got </span>
  <span>two life signs.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki and </span>
  <span>Thor looked to Frigga who said, “I haven’t tried that one yet</span>
  <span>,” a glimmer of hope in her </span>
  <span>voice.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Thor, get closer. How far away are we?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Not that far brother, twenty minutes.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Frigga was silently reclined in one of the </span>
  <span>chairs and Loki was </span>
  <span>pacing again. Thor </span>
  <span>had the ship going as fast as it was able.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I feel her again, stronger, but </span>
  <span>not as strong as last time. </span>
  <span>I think something</span>
  <span> is wrong.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “We’ll be there soon enough, remain calm.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I am </span>
  <span>calm.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Frigga jumped up from her seat, her face was </span>
  <span>full of concern, “She’s there...</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “And?” Loki pushed.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>She's managed to get away from Gunnar, but she’s unconscious and he’s heading her way.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Is there nothing else we can do?” </span>
  <span>Loki said, </span>
  <span>impatient with worry.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I could try and teleport down there...</span>
  <span>” Frigga said.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “No!” Thor and Loki shouted in unison.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “He will try to kill you, </span>
  <span>I’ll go</span>
  <span>,” </span>
  <span>Loki offered.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Brother, you are powerless,” Thor replied.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Not if you remove my cuffs.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I can’t...” Thor looked </span>
  <span>torn.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Please, Thor... You have my word.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki hoped that he looked as sincere as he was being, he </span>
  <span>needed his brother to know that he would keep his word where Ingrid was concerned.</span>
  
  
</p><p>
  <span>Thor reached out for the cuffs and </span>
  <span>they dropped to the floor with a </span>
  <span>clang</span>
  <span>, “Don't make me regret this, Loki.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> even reply, he just vanished in front of Thor, leaving the older brother wondering if </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> made the right decision. He looked to Frigga who gave him a sympathetic look, she understood his concerns.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “He won’t let you down, Thor.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “He better not. We should hurry, he’s going to need us when he finds her.”</span>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Down on the planet's surface, Loki could finally feel Ingrid enough to direct him to her. If Gunnar had any sense, </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> abandon his search for Ingrid, but Gunnar </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> know that he was coming too. He </span>
  <span>couldn’t</span>
  <span> wait to wrap his hands around Gunnar’s neck and squeeze until the life left him, he had his magic back and he was driven by rage.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki saw a huge mass of rock spires in the distance, he knew she was in there and he willed her to move as fast as she could, he pushed himself harder, he had to reach her before Gunnar did.</span>
  
  <span>Wind rushed through the </span>
  <span>rocks, bringing with </span>
  <span>it an onslaught of dust and </span>
  <span>debris that made it hard to see.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He heard Gunnar shouting </span>
  <span>her in the distance, which meant he </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> found her yet. He still had time to get there first, </span>
  <span>he could feel that he was </span>
  <span>close.</span>
  
</p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>“INNNGRRRIIID!” Ingrid was roused from her </span>
  <span>stupor</span>
  <span> by the sound of her name being called. Was it Loki? or Thor?</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I know you’re in there somewhere, you won’t survive without me,” of course, it was Gunnar. </span>
  <span>He’d</span>
  <span> caught up with her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She peered around the rock she had been leant against; her eyes fought to focus. Gunnar </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> close, yet. Pulling herself to her hands and knees, she started to crawl away, deeper into the maze of stone. Something pulled her in that direction, a feeling so strong and resolute that she had to follow it.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid was pushed forward by strong gusts; the wind was picking up and bringing thick clouds with it. She coughed as she inhaled a mouthful of the chalky tasting dust, her tongue felt dry against the roof of her mouth, she tried to spit but </span>
  <span>couldn’t</span>
  <span>. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Using a large rock to aid herself, she managed to stand upright. She limped on, following the pull, she hoped it was Loki. She wanted to call his name, but she knew that would lead Gunnar right to her, so she bit back the urge and kept moving silently.</span>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Gunnar moved with purpose, he would not let Ingrid get away from him, </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> given up too much to fail now. Loki had brought nothing but pain and suffering to Asgard, Odin should have left Loki to die as a baby on </span>
  <span>Jötunnheim</span>
  <span>, where he belonged. He wondered what Ingrid saw in him, he was a sly, </span>
  <span>spiteful</span>
  <span> and jealous man, who revelled in the misery of others. Yet she loved him, her mind had been tainted by that deceitful man’s tricks.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He would make sure that Loki was no more, he would be granted the power to destroy the man he hated the most, then everyone would be free of him and his lies.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Marks along the floor caught his eye, the wind was blowing faster now but there were distinctive lines along the ground as if someone had crawled away. It had to be her, trying to get away, she </span>
  <span>can’t</span>
  
  <span>have got</span>
  <span> far. The lines turned into faint footprints, </span>
  <span>almost completely</span>
  <span> erased by the wind but he could see them enough to follow them, for now.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> had to go </span>
  <span>very far</span>
  <span> before he saw her, stood still and swaying, she had been foolish to think that she could escape him. Stealthily, he approached her, his grin widening.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Hello, Ingrid.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She turned to him, instead of looking shocked or defeated, she was smiling.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Hello, Gunnar.”</span>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki saw Ingrid before she saw him, her head was bowed, and she was hunched over as she staggered towards him. He rushed over and enveloped her in his arms, she fought him at first until she lifted her head and looked at him with weary eyes,</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Loki?” she said throatily.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He kissed her in response, holding her tightly against him. She felt so weak in his arms, he had to hold her upright.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You came for me,” she said.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Of course</span>
  <span> I did,” he smiled.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Wait, you’re really here!” she exclaimed, seeming a little more aware now.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I need you to do something for me, Gunnar can’t be far behind you, I want him to think that he found you first...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “What do you need?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Stay right there, I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise. I’ll take care of Gunnar and then we can go home, ok?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ok,” she nodded.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I love you, Ingrid.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I love you too, Loki”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It </span>
  <span>pained</span>
  <span> him to leave her stood there, he wanted to scoop her up and take her far away from all of this, but he </span>
  <span>couldn’t</span>
  <span> leave without making sure that Gunnar paid for what he had done. He watched from behind the rocks as Gunnar closed in on Ingrid, a wicked grin on his face. He moved quickly and silently into </span>
  <span>position</span>
  <span> behind Gunnar as he spoke, “Hello, Ingrid.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Hello, Gunnar,” Loki said, relishing the horrified expression on Gunnar’s face as he turned to him, “I’ve been looking forward to this.” </span>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0032"><h2>32. Chapter 32</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Loki’s hand reached Gunnar’s throat before Gunnar could react, his fingers tightened, and he lifted the smaller man off the ground. Gunnar’s fingers clawed furiously at Loki’s; his feet swung </span>
  <span>fruitlessly</span>
  <span> in the air. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Did you think that your plan would work? Did you think you could take her from us? DID YOU!” he spat, flexing his </span>
  <span>grip</span>
  <span> and feeling cartilage and muscle give way. Gunnar spluttered and gasped, trying to form a word. Loki released his grip with a sneer, allowing Gunnar to speak.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “There’s nothing you can say that will change your fate, but by all means, speak.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ma- ma- mage,” Gunnar whispered </span>
  <span>hoarsely</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “What?” Loki said, cocking his head in confusion.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Gunnar laughed manically, the sound that came out of his mouth was crackled and strangled. Time slowed down and Loki could hear Ingrid shouting something to him, a deep whooshing sound surrounded both himself and Gunnar, getting louder until he could no longer hear Ingrid. He looked back at Gunnar and dropped him to the ground.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “What are you doing?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You should have killed me-” Gunnar coughed as he got up from the floor “-now, it’s too late.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You obviously don’t know who you’re messing with,” Loki said.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Oh, I do, that’s why I made a deal with my friend there. Now </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m</span>
  </em>
  <span> going to kill </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki looked behind him to see the same hooded figure </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> seen before Ingrid and Gunnar had vanished from the hut in the swamp.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “So, you’re the one who’s been helping this imbecile planet hop with my wife? I saw your </span>
  <span>handiwork</span>
  <span> on the last planet, </span>
  <span>very nice</span>
  <span>, I’ll be sure to leave you looking just as pretty when I’m finished.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You idiot, Loki, you won’t be fighting him-” Gunnar’s voice changed as he spoke, </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> sounded more </span>
  <span>guttural</span>
  <span> “-you’ll be fighting me.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki felt the shadow of Gunnar over him, he could imagine what awaited him when he turned around, he had no choice but to face him. Keeping his composure, he turned his attention from the straight-faced mage, to the </span>
  <span>grotesquely</span>
  <span> transformed Gunnar. He took in Gunnar’s new form, exaggerated muscles strained under his skin, making the veins bulge. </span>
  <span>He’d</span>
  <span> gained an extra two feet in height and towered over Loki now, glaring like a madman with large </span>
  <span>bloodshot</span>
  <span> eyes.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Quite the improvement, Gunnar.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Don’t try to be funny with me, I’m going to squash you like the disgusting little bug that you are,” Gunnar boomed, his fists clenching tightly and his chest </span>
  <span>heaving</span>
  <span> with angry breaths.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You remind me of someone I had the displeasure of meeting once, I’d rather not have a repeat of that meeting.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Brother!” Thor’s voice thundered from a distance and Loki took the advantage of his opponents' temporary distraction to teleport himself behind one of the large rock spires.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A loud, strangled roar alerted him to the fact that Gunnar had discovered his disappearance. He wiped at the dust on his face and let his mind run fast with ideas, he </span>
  <span>couldn’t</span>
  <span> keep teleporting around the planet, but he </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> know what the mage had done to Gunnar.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
  <em>
    <span>The mage!!</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He was the source of Gunnar’s new power, if he could reach him and </span>
  <span>incapacitate</span>
  <span> him, then he could deal with the oversized halfwit who now had more muscles than brain cells. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Come back here you treacherous snake, face me!” Gunnar screamed.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Let Thor take Ingrid first, then I will face you,” he shouted back, trying to keep him distracted.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “How do I know you won’t run away once she’s gone? Maybe I should keep her with me.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Because I really want to kill you now, so you can be sure I won’t leave without watching you die first.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I will die anyway, Loki... but your head will be beneath my boot before I do.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki took a moment to understand what Gunnar had just said before it made sense, his mother had said it in the hut, this was dark magic, and Gunnar had paid for it in the blood of his men and his own. He was going to sacrifice himself in return for being given his new power.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “He’s certainly dedicated,” Loki said to himself.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You could just teleport Ingrid away, leave Gunnar here, </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>perhaps the</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> mage will kill him anyway when he fails. But you want to be the one to take his life from him, don’t you? You want to see him struggle in your grip; you want him to beg you for his life.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> want the voice in his head to be right, but it was, he wanted that man to pay for everything </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> done to Ingrid.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Give Ingrid to Thor and you will have your chance, I swear it!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He heard an irritated grunt and then Thor shouting, “I have her, brother,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Good, now get her to the ship.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki waited a few minutes before coming out from his hiding place, “I must say, Gunnar, the lengths you’ve gone to, just to get to me... it’s impressive.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You kept your word, I’m shocked.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Like I said, I’m not leaving here until you’re dead.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Well, we have that in common,” Gunnar swung at Loki the second he finished talking, but Loki was </span>
  <span>faster,</span>
  <span> and he was well out of the reach of the huge fist. Gunnar lumbered back around until he was facing Loki again.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Now, that’s a bit unfair, you didn’t give me chance to prepare,” Loki said as he swept his hair from his face.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I thought I’d try things your way,” Gunnar said as he flailed his arm at Loki once </span>
  <span>more and</span>
  <span> grunted in frustration as the smaller man deftly avoided his blow again.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “All that strength and now you’re simply too slow, </span>
  <span>it must be </span>
  <span>terribly frustrating for you,” Loki taunted.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Gunnar roared and pounded the ground with both fists, making the ground shake, “You should have died on </span>
  <span>Jötunnheim</span>
  <span>, Odin should have left you there. You and that witch mother of yours are nothing but trouble, a blight on Asgard. My brother would still be alive if it </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> for you and your selfish need to be adored.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ouch! </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>He’s</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> got a point though.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Clearly you have trouble moving past things,” Loki replied, knowing full well that he was enraging Gunnar even further.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I don’t need to move past it, I just need you to </span>
  <span>dieeeee</span>
  <span>!” he swung an arm again and this time he </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> miss his target, but something </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> right.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Oops, the game is up,” Loki said as he faded in a flash of green and gold.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Gunnar swung his meaty body left and right, a mixture of anger and confusion painted his distorted face. His expression changed and his eyes widened when he realised Loki’s deception.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Oh, come on, you can’t really be surprised, can you? I’m the God of Mischief,” Loki’s spoke from behind the mage, a dagger held to the hooded man's neck.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “That’s not fair, you said you’d fight me,” Gunnar stamped his large foot like a child having a tantrum.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I said you’d have your chance, and you do. It’s not my fault that you failed to anticipate deception on my part.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Mage! Free yourself! Kill him!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’m afraid he can’t, he’s quite </span>
  <span>incapacitated</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>I’m</span>
  <span> not the only one deceiving you, Gunnar. Your mage? He deals in blood magic; he has no real power... he’s a parasite, Gunnar, he makes deals with people in exchange for their life essence.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I know all this, trickster... I made my deal so that I could kill you.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “And yet, you’ve failed at that. Now </span>
  <span>I’m</span>
  <span> going to kill you,” Loki </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> hesitate as he slid his dagger across the throat of the mage, throwing him aside in a heap.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Nooo</span>
  <span>!” Gunnar shouted as he was transformed back to his original form.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki smiled a wicked smile as he advanced on the cowering man, “You’re nothing, Gunnar. You thought that you could torment Ingrid? Take the person I love and use her to try and get to me? You’re weak.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He picked him back off the ground and took his throat in his grip once more, squeezing until Gunnar began to </span>
  <span>sputter</span>
  <span> and choke.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You thought that you could kill me?” Loki pulled the Gunnar closer until he was </span>
  <span>almost nose</span>
  <span> to nose with the slowly dying man</span>
  <span>, his sputters had become silent gasps, his mouth open, eyes unfocused. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “The last thing you’ll see, as you leave this life, is my face</span>
  <span>- “</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Loki, </span>
  <span>you can’t kill him, he needs to come back to Asgard</span>
  
  <span>to be sentenced for his </span>
  <span>crimes,” Thor interrupted his brother.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>You want me to let him live</span>
  <span>?! </span>
  <span>After everything he did?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “We let you live, didn’t we?</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> Thor hit back.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki, narrowed his eyes in anger and threw Gunnar at Thor’s feet, “You would </span>
  <span>deny me this chance?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “It’s not your decision to make,” Thor shrugged.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki scowled at him and stormed off ahead of him, leaving Thor to carry an unconscious Gunnar back to the ship where Frigga and Ingrid waited for them. All he wanted now, was to make sure that she was okay. With the mage gone, she should have started regaining her strength back, he could already feel her more strongly again.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Inside the ship, Frigga was waiting for him “Where is your brother?” she asked.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “He’s carrying our guest back,” Loki scowled, “Where is Ingrid?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I put her in the Captain’s chamber, down the hallway.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> hang around, he made his way to Ingrid’s room, feeling for her, reaching out to her with his magic. He craved her presence, to be near her physically. He had never felt this before, to be drawn to someone with such force, they were surely tied in magic as much as they were by marriage.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He knocked at her door and entered before she could answer, she was sat up in the bed, reclining on a mound of pillows. Her hair was </span>
  <span>matted</span>
  <span> with mud, dirt smeared around her face and the ragged tunic she was wearing. She gave Loki a weak smile that said more than her words could, in it he saw relief and love, that one expression beckoned him to her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ingrid, you’re safe now,” he said, kneeling at her bedside.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I feel better knowing that you’re safe, I was worried, I tried to leave the ship to come back to you. What happened to Gunnar?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Thor has him, we’re taking him back to Asgard. I wanted to kill him, I almost did, I had his throat in my grasp... Thor stopped me.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Good!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki raised an eyebrow in confusion, “You don’t want him dead?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I thought I did, but death is too good for him, now I want him to suffer for the rest of his days. I’m glad Thor stopped you, that’s not you anymore,” she grasped his hand at the last part, squeezing gently.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki leaned into her and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, Ingrid raised her head so that her lips brushed his.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Do you think this room has a bath or a shower? I want to get out of this tunic,” Ingrid asked.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Over there”- Loki raised a finger to a door in the corner - “I think.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He got up to check it out, the door opened to reveal a much nicer bathroom than the one </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> had on his junk trader ship. It was all white, </span>
  <span>smooth</span>
  <span> and clean.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “It has both,” he shouted back to Ingrid.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Hmm, I think a shower would feel good right about now, could you come and help me up please?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki did as he was asked, helping her from the bed and onto her feet, holding her arm while she wearily shuffled to the shower. He turned on the water as she undressed herself, kicking her tunic to the corner of the pristine room.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She stood under the water for a moment before sitting on the base of the shower, letting the water fall on her like rain, she asked him “Are you just going to stand there?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I didn’t know if you wanted me to go,” he replied.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Why would I want you to leave me? Get in here, sit with me,” she demanded.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki’s clothes vanished with a wave of his hand and he sat with her, holding her against him as the water washed away the mud from her hair. </span>
  <span>He stroked at the long </span>
  <span>tresses</span>
  <span> and she gave a satisfied sigh in </span>
  <span>response, he </span>
  <span>moved her to sit between his outstretched legs and </span>
  <span>brushed his fingers through the lengths of hair that fell in his lap</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Thank </span>
  <span>you. This is </span>
  <span>the first time we’ve actually touched since...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Alfheim</span>
  <span>,” Loki </span>
  <span>finished. “And under vastly different circumstance too.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Do you think Frigga and Thor would allow us a day together</span>
  <span>?” she asked him.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Perhaps, I</span>
  <span> don’t think a day would be much of a stretch. We could tell them that the jump drive malfunctioned</span>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I think I’ll ask </span>
  <span>Frigga,</span>
  <span> I have no doubt that she'll be kind enough to agree. In the </span>
  <span>meantime,</span>
  <span> you can tell me how you found me, I’d very much like to hear your story.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Anything for </span>
  <span>you, my </span>
  <span>beloved.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki told her of everything that had happened that day, how he could feel her </span>
  <span>energy inside of him.</span>
  
  <span>Pleading with Odin to let him out to track her </span>
  <span>down, </span>
  <span>and the pain he felt not knowing if </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> see her again. She grasped </span>
  <span>at his leg and pulled him in closer, as if to reassure </span>
  <span>him. It </span>
  <span>pained</span>
  <span> him to pull away from </span>
  <span>her, but he knew he had to make his presence known to Thor and his mother, if only to check that everything was ok. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They got out of the shower together, Loki thought that she already looked much better now that </span>
  <span>she had washed, </span>
  <span>she had colour in her face again, her lips were no longer pale </span>
  <span>she </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> need him to hold her on the way back to the bed. He </span>
  <span>lifted her anyway, once she was dry, pulling the blanket </span>
  <span>up to her chin and kissing her. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’ll be back soon, Frigga will probably come to check on you next,”</span>
  <span> he winked and left the room.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Oh,</span>
  <span> look who’s finally decided to join us... Why is your hair wet?” Thor asked with a puzzled look.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Frigga excused herself, “I will go and </span>
  <span>see her.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I helped Ingrid wash her hair, is Gunnar secure?”</span>
  <span> Loki replied when Frigga had left.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “He’s in a </span>
  <span>cell below us, you did the right thing you </span>
  <span>know.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>So</span>
  <span> I’ve been told. </span>
  <span>I have a small favour to ask.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Yes?” Thor said.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Could we delay our return to Asgard? Just for a day, </span>
  <span>I’d</span>
  <span> like to take the opportunity to be with Ingrid, in the flesh at least.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  
  <span>“</span>
  <span>You ask much of us today, brother. To be let out of your cell, to not return right away. Heimdall knows we’ll be stalling</span>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I don’t think he’ll mind, if it means Ingrid’s happiness for a day,” Loki gave a wide smile, the kind he flashed when </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> been caught in the act; all teeth but never reaching his eyes.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ever the charmer, Loki.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I think I’ll pay our guest a visit, I won’t rest easy until he’s been dealt with.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Well let’s hope they don’t give him a cell next to yours,” Thor laughed.</span>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>In the bowels of the ship, Loki looked at the still unconscious Gunnar lying on the metal floor of his cell, his chest rising and falling steadily. If he thought he could get away with it, </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> be in that cell and snapped Gunnar’s neck before anyone had a chance to do anything. A pang of guilt hit him, because Ingrid believed him to be a changed man, and he was... mostly. He </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> want to let her </span>
  <span>down,</span>
  <span> but he </span>
  <span>couldn’t</span>
  <span> let this go.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I will get my chance to kill you, it will come soon. For now, sweet dreams,” he quickly teleported into the cell and touched a hand to the unconscious man’s head, conjuring up a hellish nightmare for him to enjoy until they were back on Asgard. He teleported himself back out and left to return to Ingrid. </span>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0033"><h2>33. Nightmare Drabble</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>I felt the need to include a drabble of Gunnar's nightmare that he'll be experiencing on a loop. I'd like to keep Loki at least somewhat cruel when it's necessary.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Gunnar roamed the halls of Asgard’s palace, the walls seemed to move, to breath as he breathed. Stone and metal, groaning and scraping as it expanded and contracted. Wind rushed through the halls, cold and foul smelling, a scream pierced his ears.</p><p>  “Gunn-ar,” an eerie, strangled whisper called him.</p><p>He started to run now, the voice began to call him louder, it came from all around him. He knew that voice...</p><p>Stopping dead in his tracks, the floor began to shift and crack, a greyed and shrivelled hand broke through, followed by the decomposing face of his brother.</p><p>Gunnar howled.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0034"><h2>34. Chapter 34</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Loki watched Ingrid as she slept soundly in the bed, he wanted to wake her, to make the most of every second they had together before he was sent back to his cell. The old Loki would have run out on everyone the second he got the chance, </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> be lying if he said he </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> thought about taking off, taking Ingrid with him. He knew that she would never do that to everyone, and so, he would stay too.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Her eyes flicked open, “</span>
  <span>Hey,” she smiled.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Did you sleep well?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Sort of, had a crazy dream. How long was I sleeping? You should have woken me,” Ingrid rubbed at her eyes.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You needed the rest. What was your dream about?” he asked.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I can’t remember, it’s gone now. I spoke to Frigga; she thinks it’s ok if we sneak a bit of extra time together.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Thor was less enthusiastic,” Loki rolled his eyes.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “He’ll get over it,” she grinned and held her arms open for him.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He lied down in her arms; her fingers tangled themselves gently in his hair. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid wanted to tell him what her dream had really been about, although she </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> sure herself. It had been a stream of nonsense images, but it had left her with an uneasy feeling. Her mind had held onto a few of the stronger ones.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki was standing in the throne room, smiling, holding out his hand for her to take. She was running towards him, arm outstretched. She looked down to see Odin under Loki’s left foot and Thor under his right foot, the smile had disappeared from Loki’s face. Before she could grasp his hand, the floor fell beneath her feet and she fell in a dark abyss. She hit the ground and turned her head, Loki’s lifeless eyes met hers, she screamed and closed her eyes, when she reopened them, she was sat in a meadow. A woman in white robes approached her, her face was beautifully serene, her voice was </span>
  <span>mellifluous</span>
  <span> as she called Ingrid’s name. The woman asked her to hold out her hand and she did so without question, receiving a small seed in the palm of her hand. She instinctively curled her fingers around the seed, until something nudged at her closed fist. Opening her hand, she saw that the seed had begun to </span>
  <span>sprout</span>
  <span>, growing faster and faster until she held a whole flower in her hand. Ingrid smiled warmly and held the flower against her chest.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>That was all she could remember, the image of Loki lying dead on the ground was one that she </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> want to see again. She locked it away where she </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> have to think about it. She savoured the sensation of his silky hair around her fingers, the warmth that she could feel from his head, the sound of him breathing softly.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ingrid?” he said.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Hmm?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Are you sure you feel ok to go somewhere, I don’t want you to push yourself.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Of course</span>
  <span> I feel ok, I feel </span>
  <span>just fine</span>
  <span>, I promise. Whatever that mage did to me, it’s gone now.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki made a noise of dissatisfaction at her answer, “Then get dressed, we’re almost there.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Where?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “It’s a surprise,” he gave that disarming grin that </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> perfected over the years.</span>
  
</p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Loki waited by the </span>
  <span>exit hatch</span>
  <span> for Ingrid, </span>
  <span>he twiddled his thumbs in anticipation, </span>
  <span>unsure</span>
  <span> if she would like what he had planned</span>
  <span>. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I still can’t believe you’re happy to let them do this,” Thor </span>
  <span>muttered</span>
  <span> to Frigga</span>
  <span>, a sour look on his face</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I can hear you,” Loki </span>
  <span>hit back.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Oh, hush Thor, </span>
  <span>let them have this,” Frigga replied.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki felt a rush of remorse, after everything </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> done, his mother still had faith in him. </span>
  <span>He knew she was right to believe in him, there was good in him, he felt </span>
  <span>it. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’m sorry that I keep you waiting,” </span>
  <span>Ingrid </span>
  <span>said as she </span>
  <span>approached</span>
  <span>. She was</span>
  <span> wearing a white tunic </span>
  <span>with a gold trim, her brown belt held her </span>
  <span>daggers at her sides.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You didn’t. Where did you get the clothes from?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “The same place you get all your things from.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’m impressed,” his expression masked his excitement at what he was about to show her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He pulled the lever to open the hatch, he felt the air as it rushed in, it felt </span>
  <span>charged, a </span>
  <span>tactile</span>
  <span> buzzing on </span>
  <span>his skin.</span>
  <span> Looking at Ingrid, he knew she could feel it too, she gave a small shiver as the hairs on her arms stood on end.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “What is this place?” she asked him, as she stared out of the hatch at the silvery blue sky and the glistening green plains. Huge white trees towered over the landscape, their long thin branches held deep green leaves and delicate blue flowers that swayed in the cool breeze.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>It’s a planet of pure magical energy, you should feel stronger here, more connected. I thought that </span>
  <span>I could teach you a few new things.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  Thor rolled his eyes, “</span>
  <span>Don’t wander too far, we’ll be here waiting for you.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Go and enjoy yourself, my </span>
  <span>dear,” Frigga told Ingrid, grasping her </span>
  <span>hands</span>
  <span> and giving them a light squeeze.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid took off at full </span>
  <span>speed, shouting as she ran, “This is incredible,</span>
  <span> I feel so awake, so strong.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Well, you better save some of that energy, because I've got a lot to show you,” said Loki, as he caught up to her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki waited until they were out of sight of the ship, then he grabbed Ingrid by the waist and pulled her to the ground with him, under one of the trees.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Can you feel that? It’s like the ground is alive,” Ingrid said, stretching her fingers through the short grass. Her lips pulled into a big </span>
  <span>smile;</span>
  <span> her eyes wide with astonishment.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She rolled over onto her back, side by side with her husband, and reached out for his hand. A pleasant sensation exploded in her stomach as his fingers touched hers, she shivered at the contact.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Empty your mind, Ingrid. Draw the energy into yourself, just like you do on Asgard, this will just be a little more... intense.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Intense </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> the word for what she felt, a rush of power that she felt in every part of herself, a surge of pure energy that left her </span>
  <span>feeling</span>
  <span> like she was floating. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Wow, this is just... wow,” she said to Loki.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I told you it would feel a little more intense.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “How did you find this place?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “My mother, she learned about this place from the light elves, they’ve made journeys here for thousands of years. I never got the chance to visit, so when she suggested it, I knew It was the perfect place to bring you.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “It’s beautiful, definitely </span>
  <span>a good choice</span>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki rolled onto his side to look at her, “You are beautiful. I’m sorry that we only have this day together.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “There’s no need to be sorry,” she replied, turning to face him.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Yes, there is. </span>
  <span>It’s</span>
  <span> my choices that are keeping us apart. If </span>
  <span>I’d</span>
  <span> have realised my love for you sooner, maybe I wouldn’t have been such a fool.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “True, but </span>
  <span>I think that it</span>
  <span> was your bad decisions that helped you see it, it helped me see it too. We can’t change the events that brought us to this point, we can only move forward and make better ones, together.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Without warning, Loki pulled her against him, staring into her eyes for the briefest of moments, before kissing her. His lips touched hers so lightly at first, he inhaled deeply through his nose and snaked a hand up her back until it was tangled in her hair. Loki deepened the kiss, sighing into her mouth as her tongue slid against his.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He rolled the two of them over so that he was positioned on top of her, he was already hard as he tugged at the buckle of her belt.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Wait...” Ingrid said.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You don’t want to?” Loki answered </span>
  <span>breathily.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I do... but here?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Why not? I don’t see anyone around, we’re all alone here.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ok...” Ingrid said, half satisfied that they </span>
  <span>wouldn’t</span>
  <span> be disturbed.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He kissed her again and the two of them pulled at their clothes, until they were pressed against each other, flesh to flesh.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I love you,” Loki whispered into her ear, as he buried himself inside </span>
  <span>her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “And... I love... you,” Ingrid replied between gasps.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The two lovers rolled in the grass, caught up in their passionate delirium, grasping and touching each other as much as they could. They climaxed together, calling each other's names, until they collapsed onto the ground together, slick with sweat and breathless.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I don’t know if that was just the effects of this planet, but that was incredible,” Ingrid sighed.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I wholeheartedly... agree.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Didn’t we start over there?” Ingrid asked, pointing at the pile of discarded clothing that lay a good five meters from where they were.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ha! </span>
  <span>I think we</span>
  <span> got a little carried away,” Loki replied.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I guess we should get up and fetch them,” Ingrid said.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Or we could just lie here for five more minutes.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I like that idea.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They lay there, silently enjoying the fact they were together, watching the shimmering clouds drift across the </span>
  <span>iridescent</span>
  <span> blue of the sky.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “So, what can I teach you today?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “How to use glamour more effectively, or illusion. No wait... shapeshifting!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Shapeshifting is tough, are you sure that’s what you want to try?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’m sure,” Ingrid said with a nod.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki got up first and retrieved their clothes from beneath the tree, handing Ingrid’s to </span>
  <span>her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Why didn’t you just use your magic to remove our clothes,” Ingrid laughed.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Sometimes it’s no fun doing things the </span>
  <span>easy way</span>
  <span>,” Loki replied with a smile.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Well, yes, I suppose if you ever did something the </span>
  <span>easy way</span>
  <span>, people might die of shock.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’ll let you have that one,” Loki told her, with a mock stern expression.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Once they were dressed, Loki took Ingrid’s hands in his own and brought them to his lips, “So, before you distracted me...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid </span>
  <span>interrupted</span>
  <span> him with a fake gasp of </span>
  <span>shock.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki winked and continued, “we were emptying our minds and drawing energy from the planet.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>Yes,</span>
  <span> we were.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “So now, envision what you’d like to change into.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “It’s that easy?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ha, I like your optimism. No, </span>
  <span>it’s</span>
  <span> not easy. So, pick what you’d like to shift into.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Anything?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You might find it easier to take on the appearance of another person, which of course, you’ve already managed to do by accident.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ok, well I’ll try that then, I’ve done you before, surely I can do it again.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki made an expression of amusement, “Then go for it.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Wait, that’s it, no other instructions?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Nope, show me what you’ve got,” he smiled.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid closed her eyes, even though she had her inspiration stood directly in front of her. She searched her mind for all the </span>
  <span>small details</span>
  <span> of his face that </span>
  <span>she’d</span>
  <span> memorised. She let the energy of the planet enhance her magic, trying as hard as she could to let things flow. The sound of Loki, unsuccessfully trying to disguise a laugh, broke her concentration. She opened her eyes again, Loki’s face was a deep pink, his lips clasped together tightly.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “What?! What is it?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Well, you’ve managed my nose, one eye and sort of... half my hair... oh no, wait, you’ve got one of my hands.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Do I look horrifying?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Truly, but in the best way possible.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid's partial shift faded until she was back to herself again, “I guess you wanted to show me how hard it was, yeah?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Knowing what you’re up against is an essential part of learning... come on, follow me and I’ll show you,” he held out his hand for her and the two walked deeper into the trees.</span>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0035"><h2>35. Chapter 35</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The end of the current story, but I'm not finished yet :)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>  “Shapeshifting is not as easy as you might think. Even when you get the basics down and manage to become </span>
  <span>whatever form you choose, holding that form requires great </span>
  <span>strength,” Loki explained as they wandered amongst the trees</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You don’t think I can do it?” she asked him, toying with a stray branch.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I know you can do it, just don’t be disappointed because </span>
  <span>you don’t pick it up instantly. We’re in the right place for you to learn this, </span>
  <span>the additional power you have </span>
  <span>here will strengthen the change.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid hummed and nodded, only half in agreement with him.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “What did you first turn into?” she asked.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “A snake, a form that brought me a chance to create as much mischief as possible,” he answered with a wide grin, the one he got when reliving a particularly funny stunt that he had pulled.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I remember, you tormented Thor quite a bit.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>It didn’t do him any harm.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>I’m sure he disagrees.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span> Loki gave a deep sigh, “The big </span>
  <span>oaf</span>
  <span> always does, we’re too different the two of us, he won’t ever see things my way and I won’t ever see them his way.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “One day you’ll both agree on something</span>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Ingrid, this is the exact opposite of clearing our minds,” he reminded her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Sorry, where were we?” she smiled sheepishly.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “</span>
  <span>What you lack is confidence in your abilities, remember when you shifted into me? The </span>
  <span>only thing stopping you changing back was a mental block of your own creation</span>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I didn’t mean to.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “No, you didn’t, it came from inside you, that feeling of not being strong enough that runs deep. But you pieced together your own memories after I broke them, you created your own illusions without being shown how.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “So, what you’re saying is just believe in myself? That seems </span>
  <span>like a weak foundation to build on.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You’d be surprised.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid took a slow breath in, she </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> sure what exactly it was she was supposed to be believing in, her magic, her strength? Someone telling you to believe in yourself was easy, doing it was less so. She closed her eyes as Loki placed his hands on her cheeks gently.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I believe in you,” he said softly.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It was him; it was always him; he is the one that breaks the dam and floods her with love. It was that that unlocked what was inside of her. From those first moments when she was trying to reach him in New York, the image of his face in her mind that set everything free.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I think you’re the key to this particular lock,” she told him.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You’ll need to be able to unlock your power without thinking about it, but for now, that’ll do.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He held onto her hands in silence as she emptied her mind of everything else, focusing on the softness of his hands as he absentmindedly traced circles on her hands with his thumbs. The world fell away from </span>
  <span>her,</span>
  <span> and she felt light, something bubbled up inside of her, spilling out in a wave of magical energy. Without opening her eyes, she knew she was changing, she </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> feel any different and yet she knew that she looked different. Loki’s hands were no longer on her, and she opened her eyes, she was much closer to the ground and looking up, she saw Loki towering above her with a proud expression. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I did it, I turned myself into a raven,” she shouted </span>
  <span>excitedly</span>
  <span>, but it came out as loud cawing.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I’m afraid it’s a little hard to understand you like that. How would you like to go flying?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid flapped her new wings </span>
  <span>enthusiastically</span>
  <span>, which Loki took to mean yes. He shifted into a raven with ease and began hopping about to signal his eagerness to take to the skies.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>HIs voice appeared in her head, “Flying should come naturally in this form, your body will know what to do.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Loki took off first, </span>
  <span>ascending</span>
  <span> into the air with ease and circling above as he waited for her to join him. Ingrid hopped around, flapping her glossy black wings as the breeze blew over her feathers, feeling herself leave the ground. She beat them harder until she </span>
  <span>rose up</span>
  <span>, into the air, higher and higher, keeping Loki in her sights.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “See, it’s not so hard. Now </span>
  <span>you’ve</span>
  <span> just got to stay in the air,” Loki’s voice spoke in her head again.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid tried to shout at him, cawing loudly instead at the back of Loki’s head as he started to glide downwards, tilting his wings to </span>
  <span>veer</span>
  <span> left and right in the air, she tried to follow him as best she could. Although she felt safe with Loki, knowing that he </span>
  <span>wouldn’t</span>
  <span> let her be harmed, she was still feeling shaky as though she might change back at any moment and fall back to the ground like a rock. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>As if he sensed her </span>
  <span>trepidation</span>
  <span>, his voice cut through her thoughts once more, “I </span>
  <span>won’t</span>
  <span> let anything happen to you, just let go and enjoy the view.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid did as she was told, banished her negative </span>
  <span>thoughts</span>
  <span> and looked down at the scenery passing quickly beneath her. The ground seemed to glitter from up above, a rich green landscape dotted with the beautiful white trees that she had walked through earlier.</span>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>They had been flying for an hour, with Ingrid growing more confident in her abilities, swooping and diving, soaring higher and higher. She had stayed on Loki’s tail with ease, as he led her through the sky.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Over there, to the North of us, there’s a lake. Fancy a swim?” he asked her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She let out a chattering sound and followed him as he swooped towards the ground, landing a little less gracefully than Loki did. He returned to his original form first, while Ingrid panicked, she had spent so long thinking about not turning back, that she </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> thought about how she would change back.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “It’s just the exact opposite of how you turned into a raven. Just focus on yourself and who you are, like we did on the ship when you were me. That’s why it’s so important to believe in yourself and your ability.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>If she could have rolled her eyes at him, she would have, he always oozed confidence. She knew who she was, Ingrid </span>
  <span>Heimdallsdottir</span>
  <span>, shield maiden in the Einherjar, daughter of Midgard and wife of Loki. Her feathers disappeared and she grew taller until she was back to normal, feeling extremely pleased with herself. Loki seemed to be equally pleased with her, a smile played at the corner of his mouth.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You doubted </span>
  <span>me,</span>
  <span> didn’t you?” she asked him crossly.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Not for a single moment, I already told you that I believe in you.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Good, because I don’t think I’d have managed it if you didn’t,” she looked out at the rippling water of the lake, a dark blue contrasted against the plains, it looked inviting.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Are you swimming fully clothed?” Loki asked from behind her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She spun round to face him and answer, only to be confronted by a fully nude Loki.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “How do you do that? Make your clothes disappear and reappear?” she wondered </span>
  <span>out loud</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You want to learn?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Erm... Yes!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “It’s a simple case of dematerialising whatever you’re wearing and </span>
  <span>rematerialising</span>
  <span> them at will.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Like the pocket dimension?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Not quite, I conjure the clothing out of magical energy, it’s an illusion of sorts, though they’re quite real once they’re created, and if I need to remove them, or change, I just mak</span>
  <span>e them </span>
  <span>di</span>
  <span>ssipate</span>
  <span> back into the energy they were created from.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Oh... sounds really easy,” Ingrid replied sarcastically.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “It </span>
  <span>is, once</span>
  <span> you get the hang of it. Like most things </span>
  <span>you’ve</span>
  <span> learned already, you have got to draw in the energy and bend it to your will, make it change to suit what you need it for. That action is hard at first, but it soon becomes as effortless as breathing, you won’t have to concentrate quite so much.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ingrid closed her eyes and screwed up her nose as she tried to direct the energy to what she needed it to do.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Don’t be disheartened if you... don’t... get...” Loki trailed off as Ingrid’s clothes began to vanish.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Well, would you look at that! </span>
  <span>I guess you</span>
  <span> are a good teacher,” she observed her nakedness and then winked at him.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “It would seem that conjuring and illusion are your strong points,” he replied.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Don’t feel threatened, you’re still the best,” she teased.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I don’t feel... threatened, I’m quite proud of you in fact.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He grabbed her by the hand and dragged her into the cool water before she had time to react, she yelped at the change in temperature and pushed him as hard as she could. He landed in the deeper water with a large splash, resurfacing and flicking his dark hair from his face while glaring at her with mischief in his eyes.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You’ll pay for that,” he grinned.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Oh no,” Ingrid exclaimed and started to swim as fast as she could, screaming in playful delight as Loki chased and splashed her.</span>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Ingrid </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> want the day to end, she tried to deny it was ending, thankful for the long walk back. She dragged her feet and stopped often, trying to delay their return to the ship, once they were back there, they would leave for </span>
  <span>Asgard,</span>
  <span> and her husband would be sent back to his cell again.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Loki... let’s not go back, we could just leave here and be together somewhere,” she </span>
  <span>couldn’t</span>
  <span> quite believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. They tumbled out before she had chance to really think about what she was saying.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span> Loki looked taken aback, “That’s not something I’d expect to hear from you, Ingrid.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I know, I kind of shocked myself there, but I mean it. I </span>
  <span>don’t</span>
  <span> care where we are, we could spend the rest of our lives travelling, just </span>
  <span>as long as</span>
  <span> we get to be together.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “But you know we </span>
  <span>can’t</span>
  <span>, Odin would have people searching for us. </span>
  <span>It’s</span>
  <span> better for me to go back and keep my promise, let him see that I have changed.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You could easily hide us, Loki, you know you could!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “And that’s how you want to live is it? Forever in the shadows, looking over your shoulder, waiting to be caught. </span>
  <span>I’d</span>
  <span> rather go back to my cell than have you live that life, always running and hiding.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I just want to be with you,” Ingrid sniffed, trying to hold in her tears.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I know, but you will be with me, I know it’s not </span>
  <span>perfect,</span>
  <span> but we will get through it.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I never expected you to give that response,” Ingrid said.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I never expected myself to, it’s not like the thought never crossed my mind and when you asked me just then, I was seriously tempted. But I want to do the right thing,” he wiped at a tear on her cheek.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He held his hand out for her to take and they walked back to the ship together.</span>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Back on Asgard, in the throne room, Odin addressed the events of the last few days. He was surprised to see Loki return, though he tried to hide it. He even acknowledged Ingrid and Loki’s marriage and appeared to accept their choice to be together. Ingrid reconciled with Heimdall, promising to never keep anything from him again. Gunnar was tried and sentenced to life in the cells at the request of Frigga, who had passed on Ingrid’s wishes to have him suffer with his guilt for the rest of his life. Gunnar </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> been the same since they left the stone planet where he had been defeated, Ingrid suspected that Loki had something to do with it, but he remained silent on the matter. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>When everything was said and done, Odin pulled </span>
  <span>Ingrid</span>
  
  <span>aside.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “You have come a long way since the day you ran away from Asgard, you are no longer that woman, torn by grief, I am proud of you. You may resume your visits to Midgard once the Bifrost is rebuilt, and you are to start taking magic lessons from Frigga again,</span>
  <span> al</span>
  <span>though </span>
  <span>I’m</span>
  <span> sure you have another teacher who is willing to show </span>
  <span>you</span>
  <span> his tricks. You seem to have had a positive influence on Loki, and I hope that he stays on his current path.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Thank you, </span>
  <span>Allfather</span>
  <span>, I won’t let you down again.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Odin gave her a small smile as she bounded off to embrace Loki before they took him back to his cell, it hurt her to see him back in chains, but she would see him again while they both slept.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “My child, what brings you here this evening,” Heimdall said as Ingrid strolled down towards to site of the new Bifrost.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Do I need a reason?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Heimdall shook his head and smiled, “The Bifrost is coming along, but it will still take some time before it is operational.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “I can’t wait to visit Midgard again, I hope Frank is taking care of my apartment.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Heimdall gazed silently into the stars, “He is.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Heimdall?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Yes, my child?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  “Tell me one of your stories.”</span>
  
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The next chapter will be an 18 month jump forward.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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